Excerpts from Kakashi 's Diary
by Kopykat Kakashi
Summary: Kakashi centric story collection. The Resurrecting Scroll, contest winner! Kak investigates a mysterious scroll. Tsukuyomi Dreams, contest winner! Kakashi is visited by Obito,Sakumo,Yondaime,Rin.
1. Table of Contents

**EXCERPTS FROM KAKASHI'S DIARY**

This is a series of short stories all related to Kakashi, some psychological angst, some humor, some general, etc. Updated whenever.

_**Index:**_

_Diary Excerpt: Team Seven_ – Kakashi's thoughts during the first few episodes when he meets his team and gives them the bells test. This was the original concept of the diary where Kakashi's thoughts are explored during every episode he appears. More excerpts planned but may not be written in chronological order. may be spoilers (general, humor)

_Diary Excerpt: Wave Country Day 1_ - Kakashi's thoughts on the first day of the mission where the team meets Tazuna and encounters the Demon brothers and Zabuza

_First Love _- The mystery of Kakashi's first lover, yaoi implied (romance, parody)

_Words of Unrequited Love_ – A poem written as from an ex-lover to Kakashi (romance, angst)

_Fall From Grace_ – About Kakashi's father, contains spoilers from the manga (General, angst)

**_Tsukuyomi Dreams _(1st Place Winner of Mediaminer's Annual Contest - Specialty Category - Auld Lang Syne)** (drama, angst) – contains spoilers from the manga

_...Part 1: Ascending Hero_ – Kakashi – Obito

_...Part 2:_ _Fallen Hero_ – Kakashi – Sakumo

_...Part 3: True Hero_ – Kakashi – Yondaime

_...Part 4: Unsung Hero -_ Kakashi - Rin

**_The Resurrecting Scroll _(1st PlaceWinner of Mediaminer's Evil Spring Contest!) **(Horror, supernatural) - Kakashi goes on a mission to investigate a mysterious scroll

_Waiting and Wishing_ - Kakashi is late for a date (humor, romance)

_The Law of Nonequivalent Exchange_ - Team 7 returns a lost cat and finds something fishy going on in a border village between Grass and Fire Countries (humor/action)


	2. Diary Excerpt, Team 7

**EXCERPTS FROM KAKASHI'S DIARY - TEAM 7**

_**Few days before the first genin meeting**_

They'll be assigning the genin teams soon. Chances are I'll get the Uchiha kid for obvious reasons - there's no one else left in Konoha with a sharingan. He's the no.1 rookie which also means I'll get the worst kid. That's probably the nine-tails prankster brat Naruto. It's guaranteed to be a real pain, having two polar opposites. Reminds me of my own genin team. But chances are they won't pass my bells test and I'll have another year free. Guess it's been disappointing not to have anyone pass the test in all these years, but I'm sort of glad. Don't think I'm really cut out to be a teacher anyway. Teachers have to be role models. Who am I to be a role model?

Not sure if I even like kids. After all, was never a child myself. We grew up real fast in those old days, those days of war. Didn't have any friends growing up, just comrades in arms. Those other kids were all so…immature, irresponsible, silly (like Gai!). At least that's what I thought back then. Can't help but think that when you're hailed as a genius. Everyone else just seems like useless scum. If I had my life to live over…But I learned from my mistakes, hope to that pass on. That's why I decided to teach. But how can I be called a teacher if I haven't had any students? Maybe this time.

_**Day of the first genin meeting**_

Watched the genins in the Hokage's crystal orb. Iruka announced the teams. As expected, I got the Uchiha kid, Sasuke, and the nine-tails kid, Naruto, and as an added bonus, I got this pink haired girl, Sakura who obviously has a crush on Sasuke. To make things even worse, it's apparent that Naruto has a crush on her. Got to see them interact. All the girls were drooling over Sasuke. Sigh, reminds me of the old days. He's pretty cool, but I could've wiped the floor with him at the same age, no at half the age! Naruto appears to hate Sasuke (despite that kiss!), Sakura hates Naruto, and Sasuke hates everyone! This team is going to be trouble.

Was late to the team meeting because the Hokage wanted to show me Naruto's home and discuss some things. Noticed that Naruto's milk expired a month ago. It wasn't thrown out in the garbage so it looked like he drank it. What kind of idiot would drink curdled milk? I could hear the lumps clunk around when I shook it. He couldn't be that stupid could he? I realized my mistake later.

The Hokage complained that my version of the bells test was too hard. Said these kids were only twelve, how do I expect them to have the maturity to work together? I've been killing people since I was six. Didn't that require maturity? Course I didn't say that. I just shrugged to avoid answering his question. Works every time. Think the Hokage was trying to raise my sympathy by showing me how Naruto lived alone. Lots of shinobis live alone from a young age, myself included. But I didn't live on cup ramen and spoiled milk. This kid has serious problems.

It was trouble from the first second. I noticed the classroom door was ajar. It should be either opened more fully or closed. It must be a prank, a falling bucket of water or paint or pigs blood. Figured I could escape easily if I had to. But it was just a harmless eraser so I let them have their fun, they'll pay for it soon enough. I also got to see their expressions, see their character. Sasuke didn't crack a smile. The prank was obviously orchestrated by Naruto who was doubled over with laughter. Sakura pretended she had nothing to do with it, that she even tried to stop Naruto. What a brown-noser! I don't need a byakugan to see through her. Stupid chalk dust in my hair. Had to use extra shampoo. Note: Need to buy more shampoo.

Asked them to tell me about themselves. They tried to turn it around on me but I managed to sidestep it. It's not good to get close to your students, things happen, put up a wall now. Naruto raved about ramen. No wonder he's so short if that's all he eats. He must be seriously mal-nourished. Note: get him to eat more vegetables, send him to the shinobi medics for a thorough checkup and blood tests. Sasuke wants to kill his bother as expected. He's going to be a barrel of laughs to hang with. Sakura only cares about boys, Sasuke in particular. Why is she a kunoichi? I gave them my usual speech about survival training and told them not to eat anything. Made them get up extra earlier too, to get back at them for that eraser trick. Ha-ha! Should be interesting.

I really do hope they pass. Think I've been kind of bored, in a rut. Been taking it easy these past few years. No war, no students. Course I prefer it like this, but it's not good to be complacent, is it?

_**Day of the bells test**_

Woke up late. Had to read over the genin profiles this morning. Meant to do it last night, but got into Make-Out Paradise and didn't want to stop. Damn those books are addictive! Seems Sasuke and Sakura had the top grades on the written tests, Naruto the lowest. Sasuke of course was top in every other category. But Naruto did pretty well on hand to hand combat skills. His shuriken and kunai skills were noted to be quite good as well. His ninjutsu and genjutsu were low, but I heard he learned kage bunshin from the forbidden scroll and used it against Mizuki so he can't be that bad. Guess I should watch out for that jutsu.

Then I had to run some errands- bought the two bento boxes. Got to the training site about six hours after the time I said to meet. Sakura and Naruto were seriously pissed off. Sasuke didn't deign to say anything. Made up a flimsy excuse about a black cat, but they didn't buy it. Gave them the usual speech about getting a bell or back to the academy.

Naruto made a smart-ass remark about how I couldn't dodge the eraser, so I really let him have it. Can't have them disrespecting me at this stage. Naruto then attacked me immediately. What an idiot! I'm a jounin, he's a genin. As if he had a ghost of a chance. They're all such idiots. It really should be obvious to anyone with a brain that a genin has no chance against a jounin one-on-one. The only chance they have is to act as a team. Of course having only two bells does discourage that, but still, you'd think someone after all these years would be self-sacrificing or be smart enough to see past that. Have I been expecting too much from twelve-year-old-genins? At that age I guess I would've flunked my test too. But I just can't take on genins who don't have the compassion, the cooperation, the mentality to act as a team. Like Yondaime said, teamwork is most important to being a shinobi. Wish I had understood that earlier, so I must impress that upon these kids now.

Being a shinobi is also serious business. These kids must come at me with the intent to hurt me or they'll have no chance at all with me or on real missions. Also I need to evaluate their skills:

Naruto – poor ninja basics, did not conceal himself before attacking, was probably condescending of me to start reading Make-Out Paradise in front of him but I really did want to read what came next. He had some decent moves, speed was passable, but his arrogant brash attitude had to be tempered so I used my special taijustu technique "1000 years of pain." Ha-ha, I always wanted to use that humiliating juvenile move on someone who deserved it. My father taught me that one! Think I was just a toddler then. Don't remember exactly what I did, probably disobeyed orders and snuck some mochi before dinner. Anyway, Naruto's kage bunshin technique was impressive and he managed to think on his feet and developed a decent strategy – sent a clone down the river to get behind me. Was actually a bit impressed. He does have potential after all. Still, couldn't let him beat me so I used kawarimi – the chaos that ensued was laughable. I watched from a tree branch as Naruto and his clones beat each other up. He is an idiot after all! Finally he got smart and dispelled his clones. I gave him another test. I mean how dense can he really be? But he flunked again! I pretended to drop a bell and he fell right into the oldest trick in the book, a simple rope trap. At least it got him out of the way so I could deal with the other two. Started to give him a lecture about how ninjas should think beyond the norm. I knew Sakura and Sasuke were watching. Was hoping they'd work together but…

Sakura – didn't try to attack me at all, was just concerned about finding Sasuke, so it was easy to sneak up on her. I know from the report that her taijutsu's weak, but I was hoping her genjutsu would be more developed. Showed her an image of Sasuke bleeding to death and impaled with a bunch of kunais and shurikens. She fainted immediately! Thought she would at least try to help him. Geez, she's pathetic!

Sasuke – excellent skills for a kid his age, smart too, even anticipated that I would know where he was from his shurikens, set up a nice trap for me, some good taijutsu moves and speed, was able to use a fire jutsu, surprising for a genin, but then again that's a Uchiha trademark. Had to use a higher level ninjutsu, but it was fun taking him down. Rubbed it in a bit to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face, ha-ha! But he was heads above the other two. Very impressive, lived up to being the no.1 rookie. Didn't get to read Make-Out Paradise at all against him. Will definitely make a great shinobi, just needs attitude adjustment.

Caught Naruto trying to cheat and eat lunch. That really made me mad, such a selfish act. But he did grow up alone. The team concept must be completely alien to him. Of course Naruto got tied to the log. Told them all to quit as ninjas, that they didn't deserve to be ninjas. Sasuke actually showed some emotion and attacked me. Finally told them the test was about teamwork. Sakura is actually pretty bright, she asked me about the two bells. Lectured them on their shortcomings and the importance of teamwork. Enjoyed holding that kunai to Sasuke's throat. Arrogant little bastard. Still thought he had a chance against me. That fool Naruto was ranting about how he wanted his name on the shinobi memorial until I told him they were all shinobis who died in the line of duty. Told them my best friend's name was engraved there. Of course I know many more of those names there. But his death was a turning point in my life. What I am today I owe to Obito.

Surprise! These three jokers passed my second chance test. Sasuke and Sakura offered Naruto their lunch, defying my orders. They even said they were one. It's not as good as consciously acting as a team to get the bells, but it's still better than nothing. At least they had the audacity to think for themselves. Shinobis should not be mindless drones despite being tools of their country. I'm very pleased that they passed. Gives me something different to do and gets the Hokage off my back. It will be interesting to mold and lead them. Now I feel like a real sensei.

That Sasuke definitely needs guidance. There's no one else who knows the powers of the sharingan. Maybe Naruto and I can get him to lighten up. It's not good to go through life alone like that. I should know. Naruto definitely needs guidance too. I hear he's formed a father-son type relationship with Iruka. That takes some pressure off me. Don't want a needy kid clinging to me for emotional support. Sakura seems…normal though unmotivated. Her only motivation seems to be Sasuke. Not sure how to handle her. Dealing with females is always tougher.

I'm thinking more about their skills and how to handle them. Have a feeling it's going to be difficult with these personalities. Was I as arrogant and anti-social as Sasuke? I'd like to think I wasn't but I probably was, maybe even worse. I'm a much better person now, so I'd like to think, but it's been a hard road to travel. Can't help but lapse into old habits once in a while, but I've been trying hard to be unlike the old me.

It's most important to make these kids into better human beings, not just better shinobis, better killing machines. Acting as a team, watching out for your team members, means more to me than the official shinobi rules. If you don't care about your teammates and protect them, how can you care about and protect something less tangible like ideals or the village?


	3. Diary Excerpt, Wave Country Day 1

_Author's Notes: Finally got back to the original concept of this collection, going through each episode and recording in diary format Kakashi's thoughts._

**WAVE COUNTRY ARC**

**Day 1**

Had a really, really, really bad day, one of the worst days ever! I'm too exhausted to write but if I don't do it now I might never get to it. Old Sandaime is obsessive about detailed reports. Crazy old man wants a term paper for each mission - no wonder he's called the Professor.

Today started off well enough, team was on a simple mission to find a lost cat. Then Naruto had to open his big mouth in front of the Hokage and Iruka, demanding a harder mission. What's wrong with D missions? Sure they're easy but it's what you get out of it. Finding and capturing that cat required espionage skills, stealth, and team coordination. D missions are great – I usually get to relax and read my book, watch the genins do all the work, and still get paid!

How we ended with an unpaid A mission is all Naruto's fault! He had to complain to the Hokage who went on and on about all the different mission levels and how they're assigned. The lesson was lost on Naruto who wasn't even listening! Actually, I wasn't listening either. Kinda phased out. After all, I've heard it all before. At least no one noticed I yawned. That's the best thing about wearing a mask.

We were supposed to get a C mission. I knew there would be trouble as soon as I saw our prospective client, the so-called expert bridge builder Tazuna. I wouldn't trust that drunk to build a tower out of legos much less an expansive stable bridge for vehicular traffic. He and Naruto hit it right off - hit as in wanting to put out a hit on each other. At least I got in a lecture on shinobis in other countries - some good info these kids should know. Timid Sakura was afraid of seeing real action but I reassured her that there will be no shinobi enemies in a C mission - famous last words.

Right, it started out as a C mission, but it's always good to be wary. Noticed that puddle of water on the arid ground. Pretty soon all hell broke loose. A couple of mist ninjas attacked. I was able to use kawarimi and hide for a while to see who their target was. They were definitely out to get Tazuna. Had a feeling that sneaky bastard was hiding something.

At least some good came out of it. I was able to access the genins' skills after all these months. Sasuke was very impressive again, showed some excellent taijutsu moves, almost took out the two by himself. Even Sakura showed some guts, but Naruto was a disappointment. Despite all his loud-mouth bragging he froze up. He was injured by the mist-nin's poison claws, but then he had the guts to cut his own hand to release the poison. The cut was quite deep but it stopped bleeding fairly quickly. Lucky brat with the power of the nine-tails, probably be dead by now without it. Was kind of hoping the team would decide to quit and return to the village, but Naruto stubbornly swore to protect the old geezer.

Guess I was pleased to see they wanted to continue even though things might get dangerous. But I didn't realize how dangerous! I thought maybe a B mission upgrade. Then I found out that Gatou the billionaire shipping magnate was involved. This guy has enough money to hire all the shinobis in Konoha! Not that Sandaime and his principles would deal with a guy like that. Sigh, should have turned around right there.

Tazuna's a real smart strategist. He should be a shinobi! Caught me in a no-win moral dilemma using ethical and emotional blackmail. He's only paying for a C mission but this developed into an A mission. Yet we couldn't abandon him to his death, though the wily old bastard deserved it. Worst mission ever!

This is what it means to be a real shinobi, to protect a client with your life, even one who doesn't pay! Not that a shinobi should be motivated by money, but some of us do have extra expenses. I really want that collector's illustrated, autographed, with gold leaf, hand sewn binding, limited edition, 3 volume set of Make-Out Paradise! That would last through repeated readings. Us shinobis only get a percentage of the money collected from the clients. Note: Will have to negotiate with the Hokage for a greater percent on this one.

Back to the mission, we crossed the sea to Wave Country without any problems. I have to admit that bridge was impressive! Looked like Tazuna's reputation was well deserved. On the way to Tazuna's, Naruto was out to prove himself and started throwing his kunais all over the place. Said he detected an enemy but it was only a rabbit. Correction, it was a snow rabbit but itscoat was white instead of the brown color it should be in the spring and summer, someone's pet. So Naruto wasn't wrong, I'll have to give him points on that, there was someone following us.

It turned out to be Momochi Zabuza, a missing-nin jounin of Hidden Mist Village, aka Blood Mist Village. He was the boy responsible for killing a hundred students many years ago. His weapon of choice is this huge cleaver-like sword. You know what they say about compensating, ha ha! But seriously, I had to use my sharingan immediately against such a strong enemy. I suspected he could use water clones which my sharingan could easily distinguish.

But I was too soft on him and gave him a chance to give up. I should have cut him down without giving him any warning, like I would have done in the past. Maybe all those years of killing have caught up with me and I just can't kill impulsively anymore. My mistake, Zabuza took advantage of my hesitation and caught me in his water prison. That put my team and our client in danger. I'm such an idiot!

At least something positive came out of my mistake. Naruto and Sasuke worked together for once and coordinate an impressive plan to help me escape. Naruto's shadow clones were a distraction to hide his transformation into a fuuma shuriken. A clone threw him to Sasuke who realized the plan immediately and pulled out his own shuriken. He threwhis shuriken toward Zabuza, withNaruto hiding in its shadow.

Naruto is smarter than he looks. He did exactly as he should have, not try to defeat a much stronger enemy, buttrytorelease someone who could. Naruto's use of kage bunshin and henge was innovative and excellently executed. Sasuke's shuriken throwing was right on target. Sakura…well she did stand by Tazuna. My little genins are getting so much stronger :) Makes me feel I accomplished something with them.

Once I was released, no more fooling around, Zabuza was going down! Couldn't help but play around with him just a little, to show off my sharingan. But I overdid it. Haven't used my sharingan for so long in a quite a while. Let's see, I did a water dragon justu, a hypnotic genjustu, and water explosion. Oh, and a water clone in round one. That's 4 jutsus within a few minutes. Sigh, pathetic, I should be better than that. I can get off four shots with my chidori. Only the water dragon and water explosion require as much chakra as my chidori. Note: Have to get back into shape.

A Mist hunter-nin showed up before I could finish him. Saved me the trouble, don't need any more blood on my hands. But Naruto flipped out that a kid about his age was so strong. He seemed to be about 14-15 years old. A hunter-nin at that age, not unheard of. After all, I made jounin at 13. Bet I could kick his ass at the same age!

The academy isn't the same anymore. In the past, someone like Sasuke would have been made chuunin already. Sandaime changed the requirements in recent years. He felt we were pushing young children too hard and they weren't mature enough to handle the psychological consequences of being a shinobi. I think it's because of what happened with Orochimaru and Itachi. Geniuses who became missing-nins. Good thing I'm perfectly normal! Sandaime probably feels the village somehow failed them rather than vice versa. He has such a lenient policy on missing-nins, but not my problem anymore, quit the Anbu years ago.

I've been so lazy and out of shape these past few years. Someone like Zabuza wouldn't have lasted more than a second during my prime. Peace will do that to you. Some keep on their toes, training obsessively for the next war. I believe you should enjoy it while you can, but perhaps I was wrong and I should be more wary, who knows when war will break out again.

We're staying at Tazuna's house. He lives with his daughter and grandson. Tsunami's pretty cute, too bad Inari hangs around the house so much, you'd think he'd be in school at his age. Oh well, no time for dalliances.

I was really really lucky today. My team and client are safe. It looks like I'll be resting for a while. But something's been nagging at me, can't quite put my finger on it…

-…-to be continued-…-


	4. First Love

**First Love**

"Please, you said we could go out together after your mission today…"

"I'm sorry, but I have to finish this mission report," Kakashi responded without looking up. He was hunched over his computer typing furiously.

His friend sighed and moped around the room for a while. _Damn why is Kakashi always so serious? _He stretched out lazily on Kakashi's bed and frowned_. Even this bed is hard. This room is so spartan_, he thought as he looked around. _Well, I can wait a while. After all, he's worth waiting for_.

He closed his eyes and fell into a half sleep, dreamily thinking of running by Kakashi's side through Konoha's lovely green fields. Then Kakashi, being faster, would pull ahead and he would tackle him from the back. Then they would roll around together on the soft grass ending with him on top of Kakashi, feeling his strong hard body under his and...

When he woke a half hour later, Kakashi was still typing_. What is he writing? A freakin' novel or something?_ He watched him with his half closed eyes, observing his every feature and every movement. His fine hands raced across the keyboard. His dark eyes stared fixedly at the monitor. His straight teeth bit the bottom of his perfectly formed lips as he concentrated on his report. His white/grey hair messily stuck out at all angles while his nose was flawlessly straight.

How he loved him. No one knew him like he did. To the world he was this serious genius, to him he was just another awkward boy, though a much smarter and better looking one than any other he knew. And despite his many missions and innumerable kills, he was gentle and usually considerate - except for now.

After a few more minutes, he decided enough was enough. _After all, all work and no play makes Kak a dull boy…_

He slid off Kakashi's bed onto the cold wood floor and silently walked over using ninja stealth. Now he was crouched down next to him, but Kakashi did not seem to notice as he continued to type, cursing every so often when he made a mistake.

In the privacy of his bedroom, Kakashi wore only his T-shirt and shorts, no mask covering his handsome face. He suddenly felt a tickling sensation from his feet. At first he was annoyed, but the sensation soon became sensual and he stopped typing and sighed. He liked having his toes licked. He felt the tongue move higher up, ontohis ankle, calf, and thigh…

His friend noticed that Kakashi finally stopped working and seemed to relax. He chuckled, rose up and tried to sit on Kakashi's lap. Kakashi tried to push him off but rather half-heartedly. "I really do have to finish this report. Stop distracting me…"

But now his lips were being licked. Kakashi looked into the soft brown eyes and smiled. How could he resist such an adorable face? He ran his hand over the top of his friend's head and then hugged him tightly.

_Author's note: At this point, who do you think should be Kakashi's special friend? My answer in a couple of weeks ;)_


	5. First Love Conclusion

This is the conclusion to _First Love,_ **do not read **until you've read the first part!

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"I love you," Kakashi whispered."

"Of course you do, after all, a dog is man's best friend," Pakkun responded, yapping playfully. "Let's go and take that walk now before I lose it here on your lap!"

Alternate Title:_ Puppy Love_

_Author's note: I have nothing against yaoi but pairing Kakashi with Pakkun makes as much sense to me as Kakashi-Iruka, Kakashi-Asuma, Kakashi-Gai, Kakashi-Genma, Kakashi-Sasuke, etc._


	6. Unrequited Love

_**Unrequited Love**_

I love you

but I know you'll never say those words to me.

I loved you from afar

even before I knew you.

Whatever happened in your past

that you don't speak of

has made you into this man I love

but cannot have.

Even when we are close together

you seem so far away

lost in your own thoughts that you will not share.

I know you

better than you think.

The façade you put up

all this time

all this time

I've been waiting for the walls to erode.

But I've never seen you with a genuine smile

only the silly one or

the sad soft one

that you use for the benefit of others.

I love you

and for a while I was content

simply to bask in your honorable presence.

But even then I knew

it would ultimately come to this.

_Anonymous _

_based on a letter from years ago by one of Kakashi's ex-lovers._


	7. Fall from Grace

The following is about Kakash's father and contains spoilers for those who do not read the manga.

**FALL FROM GRACE**

_**In The Beginning**_

Essay by Hatake Kakashi (age 4) written during his first week at the shinobi academy:

Assignment: In 500 words or less, who is your hero and why?

My Hero

My father is my hero. He is a powerful shinobi. He's not quite as powerful as the legendary sannins. He does not have a humongous summons, but he's more of a hero to me because of his character. The people of Konoha not only respect him, but they love him like I do. He believes strength comes from protecting your precious ones, and the whole village of Konoha is precious to him. He cares for all those around him, especially me and my mother. He encourages me and supports me. He is my best friend.

My father is known as Konoha's White Fang. I think maybe it's because of his hair, but he can also summon a large white dog with razor sharp teeth. He's fast and strong and smart, but also patient and kind. He says when I graduate the academy, he'll get me a dog, or rather teach me a dog summons. He says I'll be able to summon that large wolf dog soon.

He is a hero of the village and has been on countless missions. They were all successful and even the Hokage recognizes him. His comrades all look up to him as their leader. He tells me teamwork is the most important thing to being a shinobi. He protects the village with his life. But he also tells me that he has had to kill many people too. He seems sad about that. He does not like to talk that much about his missions even though I like those stories best.

He tells me stories of Konoha's past heroes. I like the ones about the First and Second Hokages. I want to be Hokage! Maybe my father can be Hokage someday, you never know what will happen with the sannins. He is funny and tells me jokes too. Ever hear the one about the shinobi who wanted to summon a horse but just got a part of a horse? He summoned an ass!

He taught me my first jutsu when I was two – a thousand years of pain. He tries to spend time with me though I know he is very busy. He is always thinking of me. For my birthday my father bought me a custom set of kunais and shurikens made a bit smaller because my hands were too small to hold the normal versions well. I remember all the times when he was able to train with me.

Not only is he a great shinobi, he knows how to fix a toaster, stop a leak, and all sorts of repairs. He's also a good cook and can make mochi. My mom says she loves him because he can cook better than she can. He can also whittle blocks of wood into animal shapes. He made me a set of the zodiac animals. My favorite is the dog of course.

Everyone respects him and looks up to him. I'm proud to call him my father so that's why my father is my hero.

_Kakashi noted to himself: I really am a genius! Exactly 500 words after playing with the contractions - damn I'm good!_

_**The Incident**_

They had been on a secret mission of espionage to survey enemy troop movements. Dangerous, but not an unusual mission, rather it was quite a typical one. They were deep in enemy territory but had to cross back into Konoha to relay the vital information they uncovered. They were close to the border now, so far so good, but then…

Despite all of his experience, his countless missions, his countless kills, despite the combined experience of the four man platoon, despite everything, they were fooled, tricked into a sophisticated barrier trap that would require time to unravel. Sakumo was scouting ahead when the trap was triggered. His quick reflexes enabled him to just barely get away.

From their surveillance they determined that the enemy troops were planning an attack to flank the Leaf troops, by sacrificing a smaller contingent, a decoy. Sakumo had to warn the main Leaf battalions before the enemy encircled them. But he didn't. Instead of continuing to escape, he backtracked to find and kill the five hidden enemies to bring down the barrier, to save his comrades from being tortured for information.

The decision was made and could not be unmade. Perhaps it was a decision made on the spur of the moment with no more thought than drinking when you're thirsty, eating when you're hungry. There was no serious contemplation of the ramifications. It was just based on instinct, he had to save his comrades or they would be killed. It should have been as simple as that. But in times of war, nothing is simple and all decisions can have far reaching ramifications.

"Sakumo, you fool! Why did you come back for us?"

"Damn it! You have to warn the main troops or they'll be slaughtered!"

"You should have left us to an honorable death. Now we'll return home in disgrace. How do you expect us to live while so many others will die?"

"I…I couldn't just leave you to your deaths…" What else could he say? They were right after all. It was the most difficult decision of his entire life – a no win situation, a desperate decision.

The team hurried to the front. It was unlikely that they would make it back before the armies engaged, but they could still possibly prevent a complete slaughter. Sakumo summoned his great white wolf and the Leaf forces were able to retreat without the enemy in pursuit. There were many casualties, but it could have been much worse. At first he was again hailed as a hero.

The Hokage was about to thank Sakumo in front of his platoon, the sannins and the other battalion leaders. Sakumo knew his men would not betray him. They would keep silent out of loyalty. But he saw the accusation in their eyes and he could not let the Hokage continue in what he felt would a travesty to all those who died so needlessly.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama," Sakumo said as he dropped to his knees and as everyone looked on in confusion. "Our defeat today, it was all my fault. I knew about the enemy's plan but I failed to complete the mission. I failed to get back in time…"

"It's all right, Sakumo-kun, I'm sure you tried your best. It's no one's fault, I'm sure you were delayed for a good reason."

It was a good reason, but not good enough, not enough to compensate for all the lives lost. He could have left it at that. The Hokage did not blame him after all, but he still felt the eyes of comrades boring into his back. Sakumo remained on his knees and but now his comrades joined him.

"Forgive us Hokage-sama," they said in unison.

The Hokage instinctively knew there was more to the story. This time he said nothing but waited for Sakumo to finish speaking.

When he was done there was only silence. No one spoke for the first minute. Then the murmurs started. The four men remained on their knees. The Hokage did not excuse them. "I see…" he said trying to keep his voice level, his anger from boiling over, "You, Sakumo, have disappointed me. You broke one of the most important rules to being a shinobi." With that the Hokage turned his back on him and walked away. The murmurs became louder, rising to the level where Sakumo could hear the curses and insults. They were all directed at him. His three comrades finally got up with heads lowered but they were allowed to melt into the crowd. Sakumo remained on his knees, allowing the stones and well-deserved words of hate to pelt his body and soul.

_**Aftermath **_

_Kakashi came home furious today, with tears in his dark eyes. I haven't seen him like that in years. He said nothing but glared at me. Someone must have said something to him about me. I wonder what Kakashi did in response. Did he defend me like he would have in the past, or ignore the insult, or perhaps he agreed with them and renounced me? _

_Each time I see him he is so much bigger. It's hard being away on missions for so long. Before I knew it he was already a man – he made his first kill soon after being promoted to chuunin. Yet in reality he is still only a boy. He doesn't yet understand the kinds of impossible decisions a man has to make and the tragic mistakes they may become. To a child, the world is black and white. But in reality the shades of grey are often indistinct._

_His eyes are dark like mine, his hair white like mine, a so-called genius like me, but he is different. He is serious and analytical. He always thinks with his head not his heart. They are distinct for him. He does not yet realize there are times when the mind and the heart struggle in opposition for greater control. _

_The Hokage no longer trusts me. I no longer have a team, no longer given missions, no longer a leader. No one wants to follow me. People have short memories don't they? They never remember the positive things in life yet they have long memories of the negative things. All that I've done in the past mean nothing at all anymore._

The incident and its aftermath were closely scrutinized in his mind during the long hours in his dimly lit room. There was nothing else to distract him so he spent his days thinking what else could he have done, should he have abandoned his comrades, could he have lived with that, could he live as he did now? Even in his dreams he could not escape the recurring flashbacks, the images of bloody bodies stacked upon bloodier bodies, the bodies with no faces and the faces with no bodies. Like a shell-shocked victim suffering from post traumatic stress, the events of that day haunted him during his waking and sleeping hours, as if one of the Uchiha clan had used tsukuyomi to force him to continuously relive that day. He could think of nothing else. How could he when those around him would neither forgive nor let him forget his actions.

Perhaps he could have lived with the cold stares, the harsh words, even the isolation, but not from him - his son who was the most precious to him, who had looked at him with such adoration and admiration. Now he would not meet his eyes. Now there's only silence. What had drawn his family and friends to him was what ultimately drove them away - his compassion.

He was alone now, completely alone, although they still lived in the same house. His son avoided his eyes, avoided speaking to him, avoided his presence, wolfing down his food, leaving early in the morning or staying out late at night. He had expected, or rather had hoped, his son would support him. His son whom he loved above all else, was suffering because of his actions - he was being blamed and shunned as well, even by people they had called their friends.

_My son…we were so close. I was hoping he would understand. I've tried so hard to impress upon him the ideals of teamwork and friendship. But those ideals were my downfall. At least that's the way he sees it. Such a serious child, now even more so. What will happen to him?_

_Was what I did wrong? If I had to do it over…knowing what I know now…would I have made the same decision? Yes, I think so, in the spur of the moment who can think past their immediate feelings? _

_What is the function of a shinobi? To cast aside personal feelings and do what is best to protect the village and its people. I failed. I can no longer function as a shinobi. What is the honorable thing to do? To continue or to end it all?_

_He would be better off without me. He would no longer have to suffer the cold stares and harsh insults. Without me he would be shown sympathy, be forgiven and accepted. _

_You are my most precious one, I know I have disappointed you. I hope that in time you'll understand my decisions, including this one. May the Heavens forgive me even if the people of Konoha cannot._

_-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-_

His body was found in the study, laid out in almost ritual seppuku, but there was no kaishakunin to cease the pain of disembowelment. He was dressed in his ceremonial robes, stained black with blood. His hands still clutched his wakizashi now caked with viscera. A scroll, a brush, and a pot of ink stood just within reach of the immobile hands.

Sakumo's jisei no ku:

_The sun sets after_

_Hours of brilliant glory_

_The moon sets after_

_Illuminating the night_

_But there are nights of darkness_

-...-...-...-...-...-

End

Authors notes:

Seppuku - ritual suicide via disembowelment then normally followed by near decapitation

Kaishakunin - the attendant (the second) who does the beheading in seppuku

Wakizashi - a short sword often used in seppuku.

Jisei no ku - a death poem written as part of the seppuku ritual, usually waka-tanka style (5 line poem of 5/7/5/7/7 syllables), death is only alluded to via imagery

Kakashi's reaction to his father's death coming up as part of _In Dreams_


	8. Dreams 1 Ascending Hero

_Author's Note: The following dreams occurred during the time Kakashi fell into a coma after Itachi's Tsukuyomi attack in episode 82._

(spoiler warning – if you have not read chapters 238-244 of the manga then do not continue unless you really want to know about Kakashi's past)

**IN DREAMS**

_**Preface**_

Itachi was gone, leaving him transfixed in a void he could not escape. Everything was red…and black... with splashes of grey. It was as if he were seeing things in infrared, if there had been anything to see. But there was nothing, just swirling dichromatic kaleidoscope patterns. The stabbing pains were now mercifully gone, but the feeling of unease and impending danger persisted. He knew he was in an unconscious state, that Itachi had put him there, that whatever he would see would be from his own sub-consciousness. But like being pierced by the katanas, it would feel no less real.

He knew instinctively that he was not dead, and would not die, as long as he had the will to live. But did he? How many times had he been close to death? How many friends and family members had gone before him? It would be very easy to follow the seduction of death. But he still had responsibilities, didn't he? He could not die so easily. If he could survive being stabbed by katanas for three days, he could survive anything. He braced himself for what would come next.

Somewhere in the distance he saw a pinpoint of white light and naturally moved toward it. How was he moving? He was not walking or running, yet the white light continuously moved closer.

_**The First Dream: Ascending Hero**_

It was one of those recurring dreams, where you know it's a dream, yet it feels so real that you cannot wake up from it, but instead accept it as part of your own temporary reality.

It always started with a dim white light that gradually grew stronger. Strong enough to illuminate a small figure in the distance which seemed to be beckoning him to come closer. As he approached, the figure became more distinct and he could see it was his best friend looking just as he did half a lifetime ago. He was standing there smiling and waving to him. As he came even closer, the light behind his friend became brighter. It was a pure white light, painful to look at, and even with his sharingan he could not see beyond the purity of the light.

Usually in this dream, the light would continue to grow and encompass all, enveloping his friend who would then disappear from his sight. But tonight, the light kept at bay and his friend stood there clearly before him. His friend, who should have stood a foot below him, was somehow on par with his line of sight. Kakashi looked down to see how could that be and saw that his friend was standing on a small stone pedestal.

The pedestal grew taller and now Kakashi had to look up. But still the brightness of the light coming from behind and above his friend, hurt his eyes and he could not stare directly at Obito -his outline was washed out by the backlighting. Kakashi thought how the light did not bother his friend, whose eyes were covered by goggles, and perhaps those goggles filtered out the ultraviolet radiation. _How analytical I am, even in my dreams._ And he noticed this time, instead of a smile, Obito looked sad and pensive. His arms were folded across his chest. Kakashi thought how he looked like some kind of monument dedicated to some ancient obscure deity. _Well, if it weren't for those weird anachronistic goggles._

"What's wrong Obito?" Kakashi heard himself asking.

"What's wrong? What's wrong is you. You've called me here again. Why do you keep me bound to this earthly plane?" Obito seemed to be in his petulant mood.

"Don't you like my visits?" asked Kakashi, amused at the form his friend had taken in his dream.

"It depresses me to see you."

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"With you calling me, I can never reach the source of the light. If you would just forgive yourself, then we can both move on to true happiness."

Kakashi said nothing in response. Instead he was trying to study the figure in front of him. Was he that short? Or was he taller? Or even shorter? Was his hair that long or that straight or not at all? Was this the same Obito from back then? Or was it just an imitation based upon his own memories?

Obito sighed, "Why do you still persist in punishing yourself?"

"Do you have to ask?"

"It was my choice, my decision. It had nothing to do with you. I would have done the same for anyone. It was just instinct. Don't summon me again."

"This is only a dream, you are not Obito, not even his spirit, you are only a manifestation from my own sub-consciousness. You can't order me what to do." _Am I arguing with Obito or myself?_

"You were always the analytical one weren't you? Yes, perhaps I am just a part of you, the part that wants to let go, but wouldn't your dear friend have said these same words to you? Forgive yourself and set us both free."

"If...if I let you go…if I forgive myself…you would fade from my memory, wouldn't you?"

"With time all memories fade and change. You say that I am your best friend. But we weren't really friends were we? Not until the very end. I made no great conscious sacrifice to save you because you were my friend."

That wasn't true was it? They were friends and Obito did sacrifice himself for him. "It doesn't matter what you say. I don't want to forget. I need those memories, faulty though they may be, they're all I have of the past."

"You have my present to you. That's all you should need. My forgiveness came with it."

Silence again as Kakashi thought how his memories were already waning. Was his hair that same shade? Were his goggles exactly that shape? If he stopped thinking of Obito for even one day, then how much more would his memory erode? He shook his head sadly. "No, I can't let you go."

"You're a fool! You mean to hold on to your guilt. You were always so stubborn. It was your stubbornness that caused it. It really was all your fault..."

The white light became harsher, brighter still, but no longer pure, now tinged with red. Obito's face twisted into an angry scowl as the growing red light started to envelop him, first covering the right of his body, then creeping across his face. The red light now bled through to other side of his body, which began to morph into a different yet familiar shape. The hair became lighter, the face longer, and the body thinner. Kakashi suddenly realized the left side was himself as a child. The image continued to morph as the red light moved across to the left and as the transmogrification continued to the right. Now he was looking at just himself at that age. They scowled at each other, accusation in their eyes. But the image continued to change and grow. Now he was looking at himself as a young adult, and then as he was now. But still the image continued to morph. Finally the process slowed and Kakashi found himself looking at his older, future self.

Next: Part 2 - _Fallen Hero_


	9. Dreams 2 Fallen Hero

_**The Second Dream: Fallen Hero**_

No…there was something different…it could be his future self, but the figure before him was very familiar, from memories of so long ago…he had almost forgotten.

The red light faded. The white light was gone as well. Instead, this figure was illuminated by a yellow light coming from below.

He looked very much like Kakashi. Except…the eyes were not just languid eyes, they were bone tired world weary eyes. They had the same poor posture, but while Kakashi's was an assumed air of nonchalance, the other truly felt a great burden on his bent shoulders. The hair was longer, reaching past the neck and tied in the back. Kakashi started at the figure before him. He hasn't had this dream before, has he? Or did he have it long ago?

"You've grown into a fine man, " observed the older Kakashi with his two dark eyes.

"Have I? I suppose so, considering how you left me." The words were sharper than Kakashi had intended. Was his father the same height? He seemed so much shorter now, or was it because his own self had grown so much since then? Kakashi felt himself standing more erect as he stood over the figure of his father.

"Still angry I see, after all this time," Sakumo said sadly.

"Suicide is a selfish act," retorted Kakashi angrily, clutching his fists.

"I did it for you. Because of you," murmured the figure before him.

"For me? You did it out of cowardice. You couldn't live with the consequences of your own actions."

"You mean I should have continued to live as you have? With the guilt? Living in a shell? No, I did it so those who hated me would not hate you too, so that you wouldn't have to live with my disgrace, so that you could continue to live without such a burden."

"You're blaming me?" asked Kakashi, his eye widening in surprise.

Sakumo shrugged. "My death was as much your fault as Obito's death was. We both sacrificed ourselves for you." His father stood straighter now, and rose to the same height as Kakashi.

"If you had lived perhaps I would have been different and Obito would still be alive," Kakashi countered.

"I tried to teach you the value of teamwork. You just chose to ignore it, to side with those against me."

"Your death nearly destroyed Konoha. The village still needed you," Kakashi persisted.

"No one needed me at the time. Not even you."

Kakashi felt himself grow smaller as his father seemed to grow taller before his eyes. He was now looking up in the way he did before his father's death, his father now brilliant in the golden light. Then suddenly the red light returned, encompassing all, and the vision changed.

Now he saw his father lying on the floor, clutching a short sword half buried in his body. The blood and viscera almost caused Kakashi to wretch as he recalled the stench he could never forget. He stood frozen, staring at the body in the full green ceremonial dress of the leaf shinobi, but soaked black with blood. He felt his form diminish to become a child so young, yet already accustomed to death. A normal child might have fled from the scene or broken down in tears. Instead, his only thought was, _This will never happen to me, ever…I will never disgrace myself to this extent. My father was a fool. I will never make the same mistakes as he did, never…_

Kakashi silently relived the long buried memories from his early childhood. Obito's death had since taken over the thoughts of his father's death. When was the last time he truly thought about his own father whom Obito had admired as a true hero? Kakashi recalled the deep feelings of shame and disgrace after his father's failure. Then upon his death, the fear of becoming like him and succumbing to the same fate, followed by anger at his action, leaving him alone with no other family. Then finally guilt. Guilt that he did not or could not prevent it; guilt that he contributed to it; guilt that he felt relieved when his father was gone and he was no longer shunned by the rest of Konoha.

The yellow from the viscera began to pulsate and the golden light was back with his father standing again before him. This time they were the same height. "Well, at least you've learned the value of teamwork, despite my mistake." Sakumo gave him a small smile.

"It wasn't a mistake. I understand that now. It was just…an impossible choice." Kakashi bowed his head respectfully.

"Sigh, hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it? Even better than a byakugan or a sharingan…" Sakumo started to say.

The red light now came from his father's abdominal area, where the sword had pierced. As it grew from that spot, his father's face twisted in agony but his mouth was a firm line and no screams were released. He gave Kakashi one final look of pity before the red light consumed him entirely.


	10. Dreams 3 True Hero

_**The Third Dream: True Hero**_

The red darkened to black...the black lightened to a midnight blue. He was drifting now in the dark blue night sky illuminated by the many stars above Konoha, floating with a sense of anxiety that he could fall at any moment. Somewhere below him he saw a spot of brilliant blue light acting as a beacon. Finally pulled down by gravity and guided by the light, he found himself gently landing on top of the tower in the middle of training area 44. There was someone there already, apparently waiting for him. This person had such a strong chakra aura that Kakashi did not need to expose his sharingan to see the blue flame of his chakra pulsating all around him.

"You're a bit taller than me now, Kakashi-kun," observed the smiling handsome young man with blond hair and deep blue eyes standing erect before him.

"Yondaime?" Kakashi whispered in surprise. _My sensei, as he was back then, so inspiring and noble._

"I hear you have your own genin team now."

Kakashi nodded tentatively in response, still trying to accept his resurrection.

"They're growing fast, aren't they?" Yondaime asked in a pleasant conversational tone.

"Yes they are, I even nominated them for the chuunin exams their first year," Kakashi answered proudly. He felt himself straightening his posture before his former sensei.

"Really? I'm impressed. You must be a good sensei," Yondaime smiled encouragingly.

Kakashi shrugged, "Not really. They all had natural talent."

Yondaime laughed, "How humble you are now. You used to be so…"

Yondaime stopped, noticing the tension that now rose in Kakashi's shoulders.

"Yes, I was, wasn't I? Such an arrogant fool."

"No, you were never a fool. You were my best student. The smartest. There was only one lesson you had to learn the hard way. But I'm sure you've passed that lesson on to your genins." He continued to smile.

"Sigh, well, I tried, but…I'm afraid it hasn't worked out that well."

"Hmm, let's see, you have the nine-tails kid and the sole Uchiha survivor. Not easy to deal with just one of those, to have both is exponentially difficult. Then there's the girl. Another cause of friction. I'm afraid you have it tougher than I ever did," Yondaime gave a slight chuckle.

Kakashi scratched his head and said "Well, I'll have to admit I was a lot like Sasuke and Obito was like Naruto. But Sakura and Rin are quite different. Rin was…less obvious about her feelings… and…had a better temper, so I guess that doesn't help."

"Well, I'm sure you're handling it. How did your genins do in the chuunin exams?"

"Naruto and Sasuke made it into the finals. Naruto won his first fight, against a member of the Hyuuga clan, no less, but Sasuke's fight was interrupted." _How much did Yondaime know? He knew about his team already, did he know about the Sand and Sound attack? Well, of course he did_, Kakashi reflected,_ after all, I'm just talking to myself again, aren't I?_

"That's good, very good for a first try. So what kind of special training did you give them?"

"I trained with Sasuke for the finals. Naruto needed more help with the basics so I sent him to Ebisu, but then Jiraiya took over…"

The smile disappeared from Yondaime's face. Now he looked down pensively.

"…it all worked out," Kakashi added the last part almost defensively, afraid Yondaime would chide him for not watching over both his students.

Yondaime fixed his brilliant blue eyes on Kakashi's single dark eye. _Those eyes_, Kakashi recalled, _were they always so bright? Though they were not special doujutsu eyes they always seemed to see the truth._

"You know Naruto is special to me. I have great hopes for him. To protect this village I gave him great power. You should help him harness it, not push him away," Yondaime said sternly, as if addressing a genin.

"I didn't push him away. I'm not like those others. I don't blame him for your death or any other. He's not the nine-tails demon fox. I know that. I know that…but…"

"But you knew my intentions for Naruto. Yet you favored Sasuke because of the sharingan…and what happened with Obito. That's it isn't it? Are you still paying off your debt to the Uchiha clan?"

"I didn't mean to…but…Sasuke is much easier to teach. We're alike in many ways…" Kakashi could no longer meet Yondaime's accusing stare with the penetrating blue eyes that always sought the truth. He felt his hunched posture return.

"But that's no excuse to neglect the other two is it? I never neglected Obito or Rin despite your genius..."

_No, you didn't favor me, if anything, you seemed to favor Obito,_ Kakashi thought wryly, remembering the feelings of jealousy he had. _I thought it was because he was a Uchiha, an honorable clan, not like mine... _

Yondaime continued, "Does Naruto feel that you've neglected him? His power needs guidance. As his assigned sensei, it should have been you. And what have you taught Sasuke except how to use a lethal jutsu? His teamwork hasn't improved. His heart is still filled with hate and vengeance. Perhaps if you had trained the two together…" Yondaime shook his head sadly. "A good teacher respects his students and vice versa. Can you say that? Or do you think your silly posings earn you their respect?"

_I don't recall Yondaime ever giving such long lectures before_, Kakashi mused to himself. _Damn, I'm longwinded._ Yet Kakashi could say nothing to defend himself against himself, or rather Yondaime. After all, this was the truth, wasn't it? "You were a better teacher," Kakashi admitted, bowing his head in shame.

"Was I? You didn't listen to me…and look what happened. Yes, he is very much like you. The Uchiha won't listen to you either. Be prepared for that before it's too late..." Yondaime fixed his stare intensely on Kakashi, forcing him to meet his eyes.

But then Yondaime's brilliant blue eyes started to glow red and they transformed into sharingan eyes that spun around and around until the red and black were indistinguishable. Yondaime started to fade away as the red and black void came back.

Everything turned red, swirling with black streaks, so fast that Kakashi had to close his eyes as vertigo swept over him. When the feeling passed, he opened his eyes again. The swirling slowed and he could see the black swirls were in the shape of sharingan dots. A monstrous pair of Uchiha eyes stared down at him from the crimson sky. But these were not Itachi's eyes with their three sharingan dots. There were only two dots in each eye...at first…now the third dot began to metastasize. And Kakashi was no longer standing on the tower, which had disappeared as well, but falling…falling into an abyss streaming with red blood fresh from a kill and stained with black blood from ages long past.

...-...-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: Poor Kakashi! Not sure if readers will get the imagery and subtext of what's going on in these dreams but I'll explain a little after the next and last one._


	11. Dreams 4 Unsung Hero

_**The Fourth Dream: Unsung Hero**_

He had been falling for quite a while. The sensation would normally have woken him, but trapped in this state of limbo, Kakashi had to endure the feeling of his stomach rising to his throat. He kept his eyes closed to lessen the vertigo, but opened them just a fraction for just a second, every so often, to see if anything had changed. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he felt his body falling onto a soft field of grass. The impact would have killed him in reality, but in this dream state it was a mere jolt of unpleasantness, not even pain. He kept his eyes closed, refusing to open them, waiting for the environment to stabilize. But then he felt someone approaching.

He opened his right eye to find himself in a meadow of green grass reaching as far as the horizon. No tree or rock or other feature was in sight. Just a field of green that gradually became enveloped in heavy mist, but even the mist was tinged with green. He forced himself to get up and then stretched his limbs to ensure nothing was broken_. Not that anything should be, after all, this is still a dream,_ he reasoned with himself. Kakashi looked around and saw a figure nearby. Although it was obscured, he instinctively knew it was Rin,_ After all who else was left?_ She was standing with her back towards him, looking up at…not the sky, there was no sky, just the green mist. He came within a few feet of her, but he still could not see her clearly. She remained obscured, even to his sharingan.

She turned to him saying, "It's lovely here isn't it? So peaceful and beautiful. I wish you could stay here with me." He could feel rather than see that she gave him a wistful smile.

"It is peaceful, isn't it?" He felt a sense of calm pervading his body. It was unlike his other dreams. Then again, Rin had that influence on him. She was always the mediator between him and Obito. _It would be nice to stay here with her, wouldn't it?_ If only he could see her clearly. He tried to remember how pretty she was with those beguiling stripes on her cheeks.

Obito had loved her. She had known that though he said nothing. But she gave Obito no encouragement as her heart was set on Kakashi. And he knew of her feelings for him even before she tried to tell him. But back then, before Obito's death, there was no room in his heart for any kind of love, not even friendship. And then after his death, he still couldn't love her, not the way she wanted. And then…but it was too late. _If only_…

"Rin…I…I've missed you, " he managed to say.

She smiled more broadly, so it seemed. "I've always longed for you to say something like that to me."

"I…I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you…I promised Obito…"

"Not all promises can be kept. You can't be in two places at once. You can't protect everyone. No one can. It just the ways things are. But let's not dwell on that." She turned away from him again and looked around, holding her arms out as if trying to capture the intangible, elusive mist. "Do you remember how the three of us would run around the training fields of Konoha? The fields were so green all year round. Just like this. I used to hunt for medicinal herbs while the two of you chased each other…"

Kakashi rubbed his eye, trying to clear away the mist, but still it hung around them and clung to them and she remained partly hidden from his sight.

"Damn this mist, I can hardly see you…"

She turned back to him. "Well, you couldn't look at me in life either, could you? Not after his death."

"What do you mean?"

"You wouldn't acknowledge my feelings for you. You wanted me to hide them away. I did as you wished, but those feelings never went away. I always loved you."

Kakashi bowed his head sadly, whispering "Yes, I know. I'm sorry you wasted your feelings on me."

"It wasn't wasted. I was happy just to love you and be near you, whether or not you returned those feelings. But you couldn't love me, could you, because of Obito? All I want to know now is…could you have loved me, if it weren't for Obito?"

Kakashi hesitated. He could have loved her, if he had let himself. But it was a testament to his loyalty toward Obito and the guilt he felt for his death, that he had withheld his feelings. It was not until after her death that he realized what he had lost, someone more that just a friend or comrade in arms. After some thought he cautiously said, "If I had stayed as I was back then, I could not have loved anyone. It's only thanks to Obito that I think perhaps…"

But his answer was either too slow in coming or not good enough for her. "If I came to you now…in flesh and blood, with breath in my body, could you love me?" She asked him insistently, almost desperately. Still no answer. "Could you? Yes or no?"

"Yes," Kakashi finally admitted.

She smiled in satisfaction and relief. "Then you could love someone else…"

The green mist began to fade, but along with it so did the figure of Rin. Kakashi felt he still had more to say to her and he called out her name. But it was too late again and he was alone again in the field of green.

The green field began to undulate and he nearly lost his balance. The ground broke and a serene green light appeared from beneath. The light encompassed Kakashi and he felt the initial feeling of calm he had when he first saw Rin. He felt the light and the tranquility enter him and he closed his eyes to try to keep the feeling from escaping and to enter it into his memory banks to call upon in the future.

Kakashi's state of peaceful contentment was disturbed by an annoying, rather high-pitched, voice calling him as if from a distance. "Hey, hey Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei! Wake up, wake-up!"

_Leave me alone!_ Kakashi thought, but still the voice continued to call him, persistently louder and more annoying, worse than nails on a chalkboard.

Tsunade was using her healing green chakra to enter Kakashi's mind and repair the damage Itachi had done. After weeks of torturous dreams, he awoke from Itachi's spell, only to find: Tsunade standing over him, berating him for being a failed genius; Naruto by her side, ecstatic that he was the one who brought Tsunade to help return his sensei to the real world; and Gai by the door waiting impatienly. Kakashi slowly sat up to clear his head.

"Hmmph, I heard you lost to just two traitors. Weren't you supposed to be a genius?" Tsunade asked sarcastically.

Kakashi hung his head and sighed to himself. _I woke up to this?_

Fortunately, Gai and Naruto immediately dragged Tsunade away to see the next patient and Kakashi was left alone in peace to meditate on the possible meaning of his dreams.

...-...-...-...-END-...-...-...

_Author's Notes: _

_The first draft of dream#1 was more obscure such that my beta-reader didn't get it, so in my rewrite and dreams#2-4,I made certain aspects more obvious. But then another person said she didn't get it. I usually refrain from long author's notes but here's a few things I'd like to point out:_

_Colors used:_

_White: purity, deity (Kakashi has put his friend Obito on a pedestal)_

_Yellow: cowardice, glory (Sakumo can be seen as a coward for committing suicide, or a hero for his achievements. Yellow is a color used to depict cowardice, but it's also the color of emperors and royalty in China, and of the sun deities.)_

_Blue: truth, nobility (Yondaime is often depicted as the exemplary shinobi)_

_Green: unrequited love (based on green for envy/jealousy similar to want), and new beginnings (spring time)_

_Red/Black: blood/death/guilt_

_Dream#1 Obito – A part of Kakashi wants to let go of the past but in the end his guilt wins over. It's also about how our memories are different than reality as when Kakashi calls Obito his best friend while in reality they did not get along at all._

_Dream#2 Sakumo – This is an extension of my story about Sakumo (see Fall from Grace) with Kakashi's reaction to his father's death. _

_Dream#3 Yondaime – Kakashi wrestles with his insecurities of being a good teacher, represented by Yondaime. This also a prophetic dream. At the end Yondaime warns Kakashi of Sasuke's intentions. The Uchiha eyes are Sasuke's eyes.The area where Naruto and Sasuke fought was marked by two large statues. The fresh red blood is a prediction of the fight between Naruto and Sasuke and the aged black blood refers to the fight that probably occurred between the two shinobis depicted by the statues (I think one of them is Shodaime)._

_Rin – This was my favorite but most difficult one to write since very little is known about Rin, when or how she died. I got around that by using the mist, which is also symbolic of how shinobis hide their feelings. Poor Kakashi,_ _but I tried to end it on a somewhat positive note with Kakashi's potential to find happiness._

Will probably not be updating this collection of stories for a while. I'm currently working on my much longer story _Kakashi and the Kidnapped Kunoichi_ (please check it out) and a new short story (starring Hiashi and Hanabi) titled _An Investigation into the Death of Gekkou Hayate _which will be published under a collection of non-Kakashi stories tentatively called _Konoha's Confidental Case Files. _More Naruto stories/art/stuff at animefamily. com


	12. Scroll Part 1

_Author's notes: __I wasn't going to update this collection of stories for a while, but then I wrote this piece for a contest – and I won first place :)_

_The following story takes place some time after Kakashi wakes from his Tsukuyomi induced coma, when he's assigned missions without his genin team._

**THE RESURRECTING SCROLL**

_**Colors**_

_The woman in the painting was coming alive. _

He was sure of it no matter how crazy it sounded. She had started out as a simple scroll painting in sepia ink. But as the weeks passed, parts of her became color, ironically and decisively _living_ color. It could be inferior ink, which diffused into multiple colors via chromatography, he tried to rationalize, but that made even less sense.

It started with the eyes, almond shaped mysterious yellow eyes, which seemed to blink thoughtfully. Or was it just a flicker of light escaping from behind the window shades?

Then the hair darkened from its brown sepia tones to midnight black with blue highlights, flowing over her shoulders and down to her back, stopping just above her thin waist bound and accentuated by an elaborately tied obi. Her hair seemed to move as if a breeze just passed. Or was it a real wind that blew through the cracks of the room, fluttering the silk scroll?

Then the lips lightened in hue from brown to a blood red. Her lips seemed to turn up and down at the corners as if she were testing her smile to form an expression that would be most flattering. Or was it just a crease in the silk that undulated and smoothened?

He could not keep his eyes off the painting and there were nights when he tried to stay awake in the room where it hung, waiting for further colors to materialize.

Of course, at first, he thought he was sleep-painting, in a state of somnambulation, but then he left town for a week, to return only to find the face in full color, even with subtle shading and highlights. The skin was now a lovely fair translucent shade of peach.

But no matter how beautiful she was, the colorized head was a disturbing sight when paired with the colorless body. It was in essence disembodied, decapitated. He should have left the house immediately and checked into an inn, but so fascinated and spellbound was he, that he continued to stay, and to stare.

_**Dreams**_

As each part was colorized, it would appear in his dreams. First it was the eyes that haunted him. Golden eyes like a cat's that widened and narrowed and stared and blinked, watching him throughout the night.

Then the hair appeared, flowing around the eyes. The hair lengthened and shortened as if it had life of its own, acting like tentacles that reached for him in the abyss of his nightmares.

Then the bloody lips appeared. They smiled and sneered and frowned for no apparent reason. Sometimes they parted to reveal blackened teeth; sometimes they moved silently to form speechless words. But the message was lost on him.

The entire experience was disturbing but also fascinating. Those nightmares he could live with so he did nothing. Who could he tell and who would believe him anyway? They'd think he was crazy or perpetrating a clever hoax. He would rather live with it…until…

The complete disembodied head began to appear in his dreams, nodding enthusiastically or shaking in fury as if responding to some unspoken question. He wanted to communicate with it and found himself talking to the painting for hours on end. Sometimes it seemed the head would turn to look at him, but then turned back as if deciding he wasn't worth the attention. Yes, he should have done something when it first started, but the artist in him was captivated by the progress.

But now the nightmares were getting worse…and yesterday the disembodied head drawn on silk became physical.

_**The Mission**_

"Here's your latest mission," Hokage Tsunade slurred as she handed Kakashi a scroll without bothering to look up from her sake cup. It was just after breakfast time for most other people.

Kakashi unfurled the scroll and scanned its contents. "Is this for real? We're shinobis not ghost busters! There may be demons in this world, but not ghosts."

"Ghosts, demons, genjutsu, ninjutsu, whatever, it's your job to find out," ordered Tsunade, annoyed that Kakashi had not yet left.

Kakashi tucked the scroll in his vest's front left pocket. "They classified this as an A mission?"

Tsunade shrugged, "Normally it would be classified as a B or C mission, but the client insisted he wanted the best and was willing to pay for it. I would send him the best, but you're the only one around right now." She added the last part pointedly.

Kakashi ignored the slight, he was used to it from her, and thought, _Laughable. Guess Konoha is in dire straits and accepting any mission, no matter how preposterous. My genin team should be investigating this, not me. Or maybe someone like Gai...no he would actually fall for a hoax like this_. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, Kakashi concentrated chakra to his feet to race home to pack.

...-...-...-...-...-...

As the setting sun caressed the landscape with its pink and orange hued fingers, Kakashi arrived at an old sprawling mansion, bi-level in the customary pagoda style. It was located in Fire Country, but out near the borders of the Sound and Waterfall Villages. He was greeted enthusiastically and impatiently by a middle age man waiting at the main entrance. The man looked in his mid to late forties, possibly older, but that haggard look was probably not natural. Kakashi observed he had lost much weight recently, made apparent by the loose folds of skin from his jaw line, which flapped as he walked. There was no one else. _No servants for a large place like this?_ Kakashi pondered.

"Are you the shinobi I sent for?" the man asked hopefully. He was, or rather had been, a large man, both in height and girth. Yet despite the lost of weight, his shoulders were stooped, as if he took on another, heavier, burden.

"Yes, my name is Hatake Kakashi from Hidden Leaf Village." Kakashi presented the mission scroll to prove his presence was warranted. "Are you Shishido Mamoru-san?" Kakashi assumed he was the author of the request.

The man nodded and escorted him in.

"The details of the mission are rather sketchy. I need some more background of your problem. If you'll start at the beginning…"

But instead Shishido got right to the crux of his problem. "See here?" he pointed to his forearm and then the back of his neck. There were clear impressions, indentations of what appeared to be from human teeth. The skin was not broken but the bruising looked quite painful. "A ghost did this!"

Kakashi looked at his latest client appraisingly. What he saw was a man on the brink of a nervous breakdown. His brown eyes were bloodshot with dark bags underneath. His client's uncombed and matted black hair stuck out more than his own.

"Let me see the painting," Kakashi said wearily, not expecting much of anything. He had already done some research on his client, a second-rate artist, who could afford to be, as he already had a fortune. _He's probably looking for publicity_.

_**The Scroll**_

But the painting was not second-rate. The pretty young woman with a high noble forehead and cherubic cheeks was looking up at a flowering cherry tree with branches cascading overhead.

_It must have been early spring when this was drawn, _Kakashi observed

The tree was just beginning to bloom and there was a mix of buds and half opened blossoms, all carefully rendered by the artist's skilled hands. She was staring up wistfully, so it seemed, with her arms outstretched as if she were trying to embrace the intangible fragrance. The sepia tone lines were expertly drawn; the brush thickened and thinned in a single stroke. The colors of the face were realistically matched and looked more like a portrait photograph than the usual linear work characteristic of a scroll painting. But oddly, only the head was colored in. Her embroidered furisode kimono and the cherry blossoms remained a monotone brown.

_I see what he means about this woman coming to life. This painting does give you that vibrant feeling of activity. The lines have movement. Even the trunk of the tree and the branches feel like they're swaying. Spring, new life, a new beginning represented by the cherry blossoms. A young woman possibly thinking about her future. But that's all it is, just an expertly drawn painting. I don't sense any genjustu or ghostly presence. No signs of oufuda either. There just doesn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. _Kakashi then exposed his sharingan, just in case he missed something.

The mysterious painting was one of many silk scrolls that hung in Shishido's study above low shelves of books on poetry, art history and painting techniques. But it was obviously the prize one and it greedily owned a wall to itself. The painting was drawn on a piece of silk about 2.5 feet wide by five feet high, quite large for a scroll painting. It appeared to be at half scale. The silk was held in place at each end by two dark reddish brown posts.

_Is that rosewood or cherrywood?_ Kakashi wondered about the wooden posts, as he was not an arborist. He was not an artist either, but as they say, he knew what he liked (and what he liked was usually inappropriate to display in public).

His sharingan detected the fine lines of the individual brush hairs, the subtle changes in shading as color boundaries were crossed. And there was something else…a greenish glow pulsated around the head. Kakashi stepped in for a closer look…

The head suddenly jerked to look directly at Kakashi and the figure lurched out of the painting, with such ferocity that he had to step back and throw up his arms in defense. The colorized disembodied head flew at him and he felt a bone penetrating chill pass through his body_. Was this genjutsu, ninjustu or a real ghost? _He looked back at the painting and it appeared as it was before, a seeming unfinished painting of a pretty young woman beneath a cherry tree.

"Did you see that?" Kakashi calmly asked his client.

"See what?" he responded, wondering whether the money he used to hire a shinobi was going to waste. This guy did not look very responsible. His lackadaisical attitude inspired no confidence. He did not see what Kakashi saw as his head was turned away at that moment. His attention was distracted by a shadow at the window. It was only a swallow, but his nerves were on edge.

Kakashi decided to re-pursue the origin of the scroll. "Did you paint this?" Kakashi asked knowing full well that he did not.

"I purchased it a couple of months ago from a street vendor," his client responded.

"Do you know where he got it? Or who's the artist? It's not stamped with the artist's seal like other professional paintings. I see no signature at all," frowned Kakashi suspiciously.

"I think the man was a wandering peddler, he's probably been all over," Shishido shrugged.

"Was the scroll sealed with wax or oufuda or in a special case?"

"Well…it did come with a paper sheath. It was pretty old and yellow. I just threw it out when I hung the painting. I didn't get a good look at it. It might have been an oufuda," the man said nervously. "Do you think this painting is cursed? If we just get another oufuda sheath, do you think it would work?"

"Why don't you just throw it out?"

"I…I…I…tried that," Shishido stammered and started to shake from fear, "but every morning it returned to that spot. I also tried burning it and cutting it, but nothing works. It's like it's indestructible. It comes back the next day. I can live with it, you know, even with the nightmares I'm having but…this is too much," he again pointed to his bruises.

"Have you tried staying awake to see what really happens?"

"Of course, but I've never been able to stay awake. In fact, I think I've been sleeping more than usual lately." The haggard man yawned as if to punctuate that statement.

Kakashi took out his kunai and sliced the painting horizontally across at the bottom, releasing it from the bottom post, and then at the top. The bottom post fell to the floor with a clatter while the top post remained suspended on the wall. He then cut the painting itself into pieces. He lit a match (he didn't want to remove his mask for a fire jutsu) that he retrieved from his back pouch and burned the silken swatches. The ashes were then scattered outside the window.

"We'll see what happens tonight," Kakashi announced with a confidence and nonchalance he did not feel. "Where is your staff?" He had almost forgotten to ask.

"Well… they all quit."

"Did they have the same experiences as you?"

"They had the nightmares, but they all left before…it manifested."

_**Night**_

_It was just my imagination, mass hysteria brought on from fatigue, hunger and a convincingly brooding client_, Kakashi thought analytically.

The wall where the scroll was hung remained empty. Kakashi took out his book_, Make Out Violence Volume 3_, and settled down on the straw mat which the client had generously provided. The lights overhead had been left on. He had his dinner alone in the study, but without a staff, the fare was simple: pickled vegetables, nori, and sticky rice. The hours ticked away. Midnight came and went. Nothing. Nothing at all.

Kakashi yawned and stretched his arms and legs. The clock now read 3AM. He had read his book all the way through, twice. He was tired, bone weary tired after traveling to this out of the way estate on a silly wild goose chase. He was now quite sleepy. He had pulled all-nighters during other missions, but then he always felt a true sense of danger. Despite his previous experience just hours ago, Kakashi was lulled into a state of complacency. Bored, and trying to stay awake, Kakashi stood and walked up to the spot where the scroll had hung. He felt an impulse to reach out. He touched the still hanging wooden post gingerly with his fingertips.

Kakashi suddenly felt a shock to his system and a force grabbing his arm. He was paralyzed, not with fear, but by a great crushing presence. It was like a sucking vortex pulling at him, weighing him down, rooting him to the floor. His chakra was being drained.

The white and blue of his chakra was being pulled out like streaming entrails in all directions. He couldn't break away or yell for help. Not that he would, after all, he was the elite shinobi and there was no one else around except for his client, who for all intended purposes was quite useless.

There was a fluttering in the air and the ashes from the burnt scroll began to fly in from the mansion's invisible cracks, swirling together, aggregating then reconstituting. Within seconds the scroll was back as it was before, resurrected. But now the arms were being filled in. Pale pink flesh arms emerged from the colorless kimono, the arms that had been held out as if to catch falling petals brought down by a sudden breeze. Now the arms and head turned to him and reached out for him. The arms grew and emerged from the two dimensional plane to circled his head. The long elegant fingers entwined themselves into his gray-white hair. Kakashi felt himself being pulled headfirst into the scroll as his chakra was used to feed and resurrect the woman in the painting.

There was something familiar about her. He hadn't noticed it before, but now as the head was inches from his face he looked into the yellow eyes. Golden eyes like a cat's…no, not like a cat's, it was more like a snake's. Snake eyes with vertical slits. This woman gave him the same overwhelming, paralyzing feeling that he had during his encounter with Orochimaru months ago. But she was not Orochimaru. The black sheep sannin was somewhere in Sound Village recuperating from Sandaime's curse. Who was this woman?

The head smiled at him as if she read his thoughts. The lips parted, revealing a black void from whence issued a cold mirthless laugh _Kukukukukukukukukukuku…_

_...-...-End of Part 1-...-..._


	13. Scroll Part 2

**THE RESURRECTING SCROLL**

PART II

_**Death**_

_It was time for her to die. _

Or rather it was time for him to live. She was his slave, body and soul.

No, not her soul. He could have her body, but not her soul, not all of it. Part of her soul she would seal with a jutsu even he could not perform.

She cut her left wrist with her kunai and let the blood drip into the sepia ink powder. After all, he was no artist. He could not perform jutsus that required accurately rendered drawings. She ground the powdered ink with the blood, turning the pigment a reddish brown, then added just enough water to thin it to the right consistency. She wet her brush with water and blotted it on a piece of scrap fabric, then dipped the tip lightly in the pot of ink. She held her right wrist bent at an angle, steady over the silk. The brush lightly traversed the surface.

She drew herself as she was now, before…before he could enter and taint her body. She gave the kimono extra attention, carefully adding in the embroidered flowers. She was wearing her formal ceremonial robes for this all important occasion.

The artist in her rebelled at the plain portrait so she added in the cherry tree and its blossoms that she saw just outside her window. Such beauty she would never see again. Her physical life would end in the next hour. Everything had been prepared. He promised her a final wish. Her last wish was to create this portrait of herself to be sealed away until a time came that she could return...

_**Resurrection**_

…"I'm sorry Hatake-san, she was my only child. Her mother and I were shinobis from Hidden Stone Village. Her mother died when Haruko was still a child. I retired from the relentless violence, but I had nothing, could do nothing else. At heart I was nothing but a mediocre artist with desires beyond my means. Orochimaru was recruiting ten years ago. My daughter and I entered his service before we realized what kind of man he truly was. We wanted to leave but of course we couldn't. Then he made me a deal a few years ago and to my shame I agreed. Freedom and wealth in exchange for my daughter. She was a talented shinobi, smart, beautiful and powerful. I thought he wanted her as…a bride…I didn't realize…then it was too late. This was her last painting, of herself. I only recently figured out its secrets. Haruko had learned many things from Orochimaru…"

_She must have developed this technique based on Orichmaru's research, _Kakashi thought. He was still paralyzed and could not speak.

"I needed someone with a lot of chakra. My servants were sacrificed, but civilians just don't have enough chakra. I've given her some myself, but it's only been enough for her head to materialize. I needed a high level shinobi with a plentiful supply of chakra. A jounin fits the bill and Konoha's contracts are available at a bargain rate nowadays. I'm sorry it has to be you. But then again, I'm not too sorry. After all, you did kill many of my comrades during the last great war…"

Shishido stepped closer to Kakashi and the spirit of his daughter in order to observe the resurrection progress. Her upper body now had color and substance. She was to return to him, finally after all these years. What luck to have gotten the Konoha copy-nin! He should have plenty of chakra, enough to bring her back in her complete physical form.

It took a while for him to understand the innate cleverness of this resurrection jutsu. As soon as he received the scroll, delivered by one of Orochimaru's henchman (the one with a gray ponytail), he knew she was dead, or rather Orochimaru had taken her body. In his grief, and guilt, he hid the scroll away for years.

Then just a few months ago, he learned how Orochimaru tried to destroy Konoha, but was defeated by the Hokage who had sacrificed his own life. The news brought back the memories of his child and he took out the scroll again. He was able to bear the pain and guilt from looking at her visage, now after so many years. Haruko, named so because she was born in the spring. Cherry blossoms were her favorite flowers and she drew them incessantly since she was able to wield a brush. He hung the scroll in his study, superior to anything he could draw. But then strange things started to happen.

The entire household fell into a languid state. His usually obedient and industrious servants became lazy, continually complaining of fatigue despite not performing their regular duties. He had felt it too, but dismissed it as a change in the seasons. But then one by one each servant fell ill. Once they took to their beds, they did not rise again. When he returned from his trip, he returned to a tomb.

All the while he was haunted by her in his dreams. He finally realized that the color appearing in the painting was connected to the mysterious illness. The painting was taking their life force, their chakra, and the only reason he hadn't succumbed was because he had been a shinobi with much more chakra than the average civilian. But what was going on? Why was the painting absorbing chakra and becoming color? What if she were fully colorized? What would happen next?

When Orochimaru finished developing his resurrection techniques, he and his daughter had assisted him and had been witnesses to the first body change. What if she had developed her own resurrection technique? The only way to find out was to feed her more chakra.

_**Revenge**_

_Just a little more…_

"My daughter," Shishido whispered.

The half solid apparition suddenly turned to him who was her father in a former life. Her yellow eyes narrowed with recognition. She stepped out of the painting. Not quite solid yet, Shishido could still see through the lower part of the body. But she could now move freely…

…_sealed away until a time came that she could return_..._Return to take her revenge…_

She hurled herself at him, clutching him in a tight embrace.

But then her hands, which were not quite flesh yet, merged into his body. He felt ice cold knives penetrate his back - her fingers acted like miniature tubular vacuums sucking his chakra. Her father gasped from the bone chilling cold and the tight constriction in his chest.

"Haruko-chan, let me go. I brought you another source of chakra. Use him, then return to me in flesh and blood," he managed to say while his life force was being absorbed.

She laughed again, _Kukukukukukukukukukuku, _an echoing laugh of hollow satisfaction. "You…you were the one who betrayed me. You left me, cast me off, sold me…" The words were devoid of emotion, delivered in a cold whisper. Her embrace grew tighter and he started to scream as he realized the scroll's true intent – revenge not resurrection.

_**Release**_

Released from the spirit's embrace, Kakashi fell to his knees, gasping for breath. He was tempted to pull down his mask but he knew it was not a lack of air in his lungs that affected him - it was the chilling effects of the chakra drain. As he calmed himself from the terrifying experience, he heard the blood curdling scream.

_Damn it, despite that bastard's betrayal, I have to help him,_ Kakashi thought desperately. _A jutsu based on drawings. There must be something special about that scroll, not just the accurate rendering. Scroll based jutsus are normally activated by chakra or blood or a combination of both. The original lines were in brown ink, unusual since black's common and preferred, unless it was used to mask the presence of blood. A portrait drawn with blood would have powerful properties. And it was able to reconstruct itself after burning. Even with blood, if the scroll's destroyed so is the jutsu. So how…_

Kakashi could now move, albeit stiffly and slowly. He was low on chakra and how would one defeat something with no true substance but formed from evil intent? He looked over at the scroll painting where only the tree remained. _The scroll…I destroyed the silk, but not the posts. Is there something special about them?_

Kakashi reached out and ripped the scroll from the wall. He grabbed the top post and snapped it in half, releasing the silk. He saw an inscription written in blood. Then he grabbed the bottom post and broke it as well. _There it is, the words of the spell and the artist's seal at the very top and bottom edges of the silk._

The room had become deathly quiet. Kakashi quickly looked over at his client. Despite the chill in the room, smoke was rising from his orifices as if his internal organs had been cooked by the extraction of chakra. Pools of liquid fat ran down to the ground. The skin was burned taut. The face, or rather what remained of it, was frozen in a silent scream.

Then she turned to him. No longer transparent. But not human, not yet, not ever. It was just a shell to house her hatred. All he could see of her face were her yellow eyes and bloody lips. Even those were obscured by the long black hair flowing around her and over her face. She moved toward him in jerky marionette-like movements, as if her limbs were stiff from disuse. Her fine kimono in a rainbow of colors and its elaborately tied obi trailed after her.

Kakashi realized he had to act fast. There were no witnesses around, so he quickly pulled down his mask and released a fireball, using the last of his chakra to engulf the scroll and the wooden posts in flames.

The fire also enveloped the resurrected woman. Yet the heat did not seem to bother her, or deter her, as she continued to advance.

There was nowhere to run. Kakashi had his back against the wall and he was out of chakra. _Could this be it? After all these years, am I to be brought down by a ghost? I've killed so many and not one of them has haunted me. They were mostly nameless, faceless enemies. How ironic that I am not responsible for this one..._

But the wooden posts and the silk were soon reduced to ashes. As the ashes flew apart, the figure also dispersed into nothingness. This time the scroll would not be able to resurrect itself or her. The power of the inscriptions was gone.

_**Report**_

"So was it a ghost after all?" asked Hokage Tsunade curiously.

Kakashi shrugged, "Not exactly. It was more like a resurrection jutsu gone wrong."

"Same difference," muttered Tsunade, who was now distracted and disturbed by the thought that they would not be able to collect what was owed for this mission. _Damn it, liens against estates take forever to resolve._

"Not really. Ghosts are supposed to be the spirits of those who cannot reconcile their deaths. They either don't know they're dead or they choose to be earthbound because of some wrong they need to address. A resurrection is pre-planned, either by the person in advance, or by a loved one, or by someone else with less thannoble intentions. Here's my full report." He handed her a folder.

Tsunade yawned at the lesson on the preternatural. She took his report in one hand while refilling her sake cup with the other.

"There's no such thing as ghosts," Kakashi insisted before he left.

_If there were truly ghosts in this world, I should be haunted for all my past sins. Wouldn't I deserve it as much as anyone else? _Kakashi thought of how so many lives were wasted each day. _Such a pity that Shishido Haruko was a shinobi, she could have been a great artist who could have lived out her life producing masterpieces, bringing beauty to others instead of death. To have the springtime of her youth so abruptly cut short and taken over by the likes of Orochimaru, it was just too sad._

Kakashi sighed as he headed home to his empty apartment - with narely a ghost for company.

…The End…or is it?

_Author's Notes: This was origially written for mediaminer's evil spring contest (limit of 5000 words and must have a spring theme.)_

_Admittedly, Orochimaru would probably just kill whomever he wanted to get whatever he wanted and would not bother to pay off anyone. There is no information on the woman whose face was shown to Sandaime, so all name and circumstances pertaining to her are original and not part of the Naruto canon. _

_Haruko - spring child (first name)_

_Mamoru - earth (first name)_

_Shishido - flesh (last name)_

_Furisode - ceremonial kimono for unmarried women_

_Obi - long sash for a kimono, normally tied in elaborate ways _

_I could have used "sakura" in place of cherry blossoms, but I also wanted to write about the tree and it's branches, which are not called sakura, and I did not want to mix languages or terminology._

_It's titled "The Resurrecting Scroll" rather than "resurrection" because "resurrecting" can refer both to the scroll being able to resurrect itself and the woman._


	14. Waiting and Wishing, Part 1&2

_Summary: Kakashi's late for a date! He must get by a missing-nin, shinobi wannabes, and Gai. Will he make it in time or suffer the consequences?_

_Author's Notes: Working piece for a contest.The following involves Kakashi and my OC from a series of stories where they currently have a long distance relationship. For those unfamiliar with my Kakashi-Kunoichi Chronicles, it's just about a girl waiting for a guy who apparently is all wrong for her and the obstacles he faces on his way to a date._

_**WAITING and WISHING**_

**_Part I - Separation_**

At the bridge over the little river running through Konoha, a lone figure was seen waiting...and waiting. If there were someone with the time and compulsive inclination to observe this figure, he would have undoubtedly noticed the progressive stages of waiting. First the petite young woman appeared to be waiting in anticipation. She stood there expectantly, looking all around her, with a soft smile on her rosy lips and a twinkle in her dark eyes that rivaled the stars above her. Then after a good twenty minutes had passed, the young woman stopped smiling. She began to pace the span of the bridge, all 40 feet of it, but still she looked about expectantly. After another ten minutes, she stopped pacing and just stood with her back to the railing lining the bridge. Her short dark hair fell away from her face as she raised her head to look up at the clear night sky. After a few cloudy days, the stars now shone with a vengeance, as if to make up for their nights of obscurity.

_So many stars, if I could count them all, would he arrive by then? I doubt it. He's late again and I bet he'll be very, very late. But what else is new? I should be used to it by now. He knows I can't stay long this time. We only have tonight and he promised he'd be finished with his mission by now. I have meetings all day tomorrow with the Hokage and officials from other countries, then I have to return to Hidden Cloud Village._ Raikage Maruyama Rikako, formerly Otori Rikako of Hidden Leaf Village, sighed half in anger and half in sorrow. She tugged uncomfortably at the hem of her short skirt. _I wore this stupid dress just for him. Why do I bother? It's been over half an hour already_.

Fifteen minutes was her usual limit before she started becoming annoyed. The half hour mark was when she usually started to plot her revenge. But now, the beauty and stillness of the night calmed her and made her reflective rather than ruthless. _What was that old myth? The one about the weaving maid and the cowherd boy, how they were separated and could only see each other once a year. Well, at least it's been better than that. A few days every few months, hasn't been that bad, but still...at least the weaving maid could count on the cowherd boy being there on that one day. I don't have that luxury of being able to rely on him. Stupid romantic myths!_

Why did she bind herself to such a man? Yet she couldn't free herself of the intense feelings that she would admit to only under the cruelest shinobi torture. They had little in common - he with his easygoing playful manner, tardiness, laziness, and fanaticism over crude stories; she with her strong will, obsessive punctuality, restlessness, and preference for all books but those (_well, they were sometimes quite amusing!_). And yet there was no other who drove her mad with want – want as in desire and want as in wanting to kill him when he annoyed her, which was quite often.

It was not as if they could just go anywhere together, especially with his obsession of covering his face. When they went out to eat, which was infrequent as he preferred take-out so he didn't have to tip (_cheap bastard!_), he would insist on a table in the back with his seat facing away from the crowd. He was a homebody, preferring to lounge around the apartment or outside to read his scandalous books. He rarely bought her flowers or gifts or celebrated any occasion. Said it was all fabricated to waste money. And he claimed he never knew what to give her, that she was impossible to shop for because of her pickiness and that she did not appreciate his attempts. She was not picky! She just knew what she preferred. She would have been happy with anything he gave her, except his gifts were really meant for himself! _Like this stupid dress that's too short and too tight! _But just because she wasn't the type to "ooh" and "aah" and pretend to get all excited didn't mean she didn't appreciate his efforts.

_And he's so lazy, he lets dishes pile up for days until he runs out! And he often smells like a wet dog! And..._

Her list of complaints grew longer and longer.

But worst of all was his tardiness. It was inconsiderate, selfish. He believed in taking life easy, not too seriously, enjoy it while you can. He only believed in being on time if it were really important. And he liked being late because it put the other person at a disadvantage. Then there were instances when he was late because of his shinobi memorial visits, where he would lose track of time wallowing in his past. She understood he was consciously or subconsciously emulating his long dead best friend, but he wouldn't admit to any of it. He would just come up with some pathetic excuse. She didn't care what his reasons were. There was no point dwelling on the past. She believed past was past, and it's how you live your life now to make up for it. After all, her sins were greater, and now she was doing penance in a distant land where she had no one.

She had long accepted his tardiness as one of his many annoying idiosyncrasies. Still it was annoying, very annoying. Yes, he was annoying, but he did make her laugh, a lot, and that was a fairly rare thing for her. He was annoying, but amusing. And she did love his intelligence, his strength (both physically and of character), his unflagging loyalty, the arch of his eyebrow, the curve of his profile, his mismatched eyes…and especially his crazy gray-white hair which stuck out at all angles and which shimmered silver in the moonlight as he lay in bed beside her.

But did she love him as much as before, after so much time apart? She could not afford to think of him during her waking hours, such a distraction from her plethora of paperwork. She worked late into the night and often fell asleep at her desk. She rarely had the luxury to think about him at all. But now while waiting she had plenty of time to let her mind dwell on their relationship.

There was too much going on in her life that she could not tell him. She was the Raikage and all the problems of the country were knowledge forbidden to him. When she asked him for news about Konoha, he would say something general or change the topic or sidestep it with sex, as if he did not trust her with any real information. Each time she saw him she felt they grew further apart. But was she alone in this feeling? It wasn't that she loved him any less, but it was an insurmountable wall between them, and she found she had less and less to say. Yet he didn't seem to notice. All he seemed to care about was sex! But that was true of any man.

No, that wasn't a fair assessment. She knew he loved her. She also knew that he was not happy about their arrangement, though he pretended it was what he preferred. Each time she was ready to return to Hidden Cloud Village he would hold her tightly, too tightly, as if he did not want to let her go, as if he were afraid she would never return. So tightly, she could not breathe and had to hold her breath, waiting for him to release her, but each time she was the one who finally pulled away, or rather pushed him away. She knew how he loved her, how he put up with her, forgave her, despite everything.

_What was that silly song? Something about lovers being apart yet watching the same stars at night. As if that helped the feeling of loneliness at all! Stupid romantic songs!_ Despite her cynical thoughts, she wistfully looked up at the stars.

Out of nowhere a bright flash appeared, just beyond the carved mountains of Konoha. The spot of brilliance descended quickly leaving behind a tail of sparkling light. But as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared.

_A shooting star, how wondrous and romantic, too bad I'm alone_. She sighed again. _A shooting star, is it too late to make a wish? What should I wish for? I wish...I wish...I wish he'd be on time, all the time. I wish he'd be more considerate. I wish he didn't come up with those lame excuses and would just tell me the truth. I wish he'd stop reading those perverted books in public. I wish he weren't so damned lazy. I wish he could reconcile his past. I wish he would change for me. I wish I could change him...I wish I could spend more time with him...I wish we weren't separated by hundreds of miles of forests, plains and mountains...I wish... I wish I could stay..._

-...-...-...-...-...-

_**Part 2 - Obstacles**_

_I'm late, I'm late, that damn mission developed into something more than I expected..._ Kakashi was frantic. He was late again, and it really wasn't his fault this time, really. She was going to be mad again, just how mad would depend on how late...

-...-...-...-...-...-

It was supposed to have been a quick mission to deliver some important documents to the Rain Village feudal lord. But then he wanted to discuss the extradition policies on missing-nins. It was really not his area, but the stupid old man persisted and it would have been rude just to leave. Apparently Rokushou Aoi had just left Hidden Rain Village, so he was now a missing-nin of both Hidden Leaf and Hidden Rain.

Who would have jurisdiction upon his arrest? Can he be punished by both villages? Would Konoha cede its rights? _How the hell should I know! That's something to discuss with the Hokage. Go schedule a meeting!_ Kakashi wanted to say, but he patiently heard him out. Then the old man offered him a mission, find and kill Rokushou Aoi. The Rain shinobis were otherwise preoccupied and could not pursue him now. And seeing that he was also a missing-nin from Konoha, would he take the mission?

Aoi was already on the Anbu hit list, especially for what he did to Ibiki, so that wasn't a problem. Politics was so messy. Hidden Rain Village was supposed to be Konoha's ally, yet they accepted Konoha's missing-nins. Go figure. Last seen, Aoi was making his way along the borders of Rain and Fire, possibly toward Sound (they were always looking to hire - the turnover rate was very high for some reason). Kakashi agreed to keep an eye out for the missing-nin on his way back to Konoha and present the mission to the Hokage. But he already had a prior commitment with a pretty kunoichi and could not spare the time to actually track him. Still the Leaf jounin decided to summon his little dog, who might be able to catch Aoi's scent on the way. At least Pakkun would keep him company.

The pug appeared in a puff of smoke. He quietly waited for his orders while looking up at his master with his large brown eyes, which always seemed rather sad or tired or both. "I need you to track a missing-nin, Rokushou Aoi. He was originally from Konoha, then signed up with the Rain where he left just yesterday. These are his rooms, get his scent. He can't have gone too far since he's had to hide from the Rain Anbu. We're not following him per se, but on our way back to Konoha, if you should catch his scent, let me know." Pakkun walked around the room, nodded to show he was ready and the two took off toward Konoha.

Pakkun detected the missing-nin's scent and it was in the same direction that Kakashi was headed, rather uncharacteristically urgently. "You're just heading back to Konoha from a mission aren't you? So what's the hurry?"

Kakashi just shrugged in reply. Pakkun knew his master well enough to tell that he was hiding something. Something personal that he did not want to talk about. _Well, he doesn't seem angry or upset, just rather expectant. If anything, looks like he's in a good mood…_analyzed Pakkun who was much smarter than he looked. He could also see that Kakashi wore a slight smile underneath his mask.

"You're late for a date with that little kunoichi, aren't you?" Pakkun surmised.

"Uh, yeah," his master laughed a bit in embarrassment.

_It's been a long time, maybe never…it's good to see him like this…but that girl…he really should have gone for someone…less like himself,_ Pakkun evaluated. _Someone warmer, more open with her feelings…someone who would scratch behind my ears and rub my tummy…_

-…-…-…-…-…-

The sky darkened as the two traversed the borders of Rain and Fire countries. Hours later, the tops of the immense monuments of Konoha appeared just beyond the woods, but the little dog abruptly stopped leaping from branch to branch. "He's here, nearby, his scent is strong."

_Crap_, thought the Leaf jounin_, I was so close to making it back without any further altercations. Now I have to deal with this. Sigh, duty comes first I guess. Ibiki owes me for this!_

The veteran shinobi felt a tingle in his chakra sense. Someone was hiding nearby. A sudden shower of poisonous senbon needles just missed the two as Kakashi swiftly grabbed Pakkun and leaped to safety, hiding among the taller trees. _He's here and he knows we're after him._ "Thanks, Pakkun, good job as usual," Kakashi fondly patted his old friend on the head.

Pakkun nodded, but before returning to wherever summoned animals originated, he deadpanned, "Give my regards to your little friend."

_Just great, not only do I have to deal with shinobi gossip, but now all of the summoned world will know... _

But Kakashi had other concerns right now. A fog enveloped the woods and the illumination from the stars no longer penetrated. He pushed up the forehead protector from his left eye to expose the red and black of his sharingan.

"Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's copy-nin, or should I say has-been-nin," came a voice from above.

"Rokushou Aoi, the Leaf Anbu have been looking to get their hands on you for a long time. Guess I'll have to do them a favor."

"I'm no longer the weak chuunin you thought you knew back then. It's been a long time since I became jounin."

"The Rain's jounin are weaker than the Leaf's genin," taunted Kakashi in his condescending arrogant voice used to intimidate and infuriate the enemy.

"We'll see about that!"

More needles rained down but Kakashi leaped to an even higher branch. From their direction, Kakashi now knew where the enemy was hiding. He threw kunais at the source, hoping to flush out his quarry. But from another direction came more needles. He jumped up to a higher branch. _He's up there somewhere, using his chakra to target, I can't tell where he is._

The fog started to condense and Kakashi felt the air around him become colder. _A jutsu condensing the water in the air...like the second Hokage_... But the Aoi he knew did not have anywhere near that level of ability. Even the copy-nin who could mimic the seals could not duplicate a high level water jutsu without a source of water. _What the f... _A torrent of water nearly knocked Kakashi off the thin tree branch.

"Do you know why the Rain want me back so badly but are afraid to sacrifice any of their men? Did they ask you to return my body and any possessions?"

_Just tell me. Annoying villains always feel the need to explain..._

"I've stolen something just as good as Shodaime's raijin sword! Something that gives me control of the water in the air and the clouds themselves…"

As if to prove his point, a single dark cloud appeared directly above. A lightning bolt lit up the night, missing Kakashi by inches as he leaped to an even higher branch at the last second. But in that second of illumination, he saw the enemy. Kakashi now knew where he was.

_I didn't want to resort to this, but I don't have time to play around. Time to end this,_ Konoha's technique expert thought as he performed the seals for his sole original jutsu...

_-…-…-…-…-_

_At least she's not the type to rant or yell, nor the type who goes around cuffing me on the head. Nothing so obvious…hers is always a slow burning methodical anger. I'll have to keep an eye out for traps. Well, I'm almost back in Konoha, _Kakashi thought as he raced along. _I'm almost there_..._just a couple of miles…_

_-…-…-…-…-_

"It's him again."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"It's been years…"

"Vengeance has no statute of limitations."

"He crushed all three of us the last time."

"We're stronger now, all three of us, and he's still just one man."

"Yeah, well, one dangerous shinobi."

"We're dangerous shinobis too!"

"Uh, sure, whatever you say big brother."

The three Moya brothers lay in wait for the gray haired shinobi, the one who took away/saved the eldest Moya brother's alleged true love years ago.

"Now!" They sprung their trap. Itching powder flew all around the Leaf jounin. Special itching powder that would penetrate his clothes and burn his skin and cause a permanent disfiguring rash of hideous welts and sores that oozed. So disgusting that no woman would want him ever again.

"We got him!" The eldest Moya brother said excitedly.

"Whom did you get?" asked a shadowy figure behind them.

The three brothers turned around to find the veteran shinobi hovering over them, glaring at them with his mismatched eyes.

"You guys…" Kakashi had a very faint memory of his first genin team dressed like them. "I really don't have time for you right now. If the three of you would just get on your knees with your hands behind your back, I'll let you off easy."

The three trembling pseudo-shinobis complied immediately.

Kakashi raced along, leaving the trio bound and strung up in a tree.

_-…-…-…-…-_

Now within the safety of Konoha's walls, Kakashi slowed his pace to catch his breath. Out of nowhere, a green blur came directly toward him. Kakashi somersaulted away, avoiding Gai's Konoha whirlwind kick by a fraction of an inch. "What the hell is wrong with you!" Kakashi yelled, uncharacteristically angered.

"Nice, rival Kakashi, you managed to avoid my lightning fast kick..." Gai said with his usual toothy grin.

"I don't have time for this. I have an important appointment, and I'm already late..." Kakashi continued to race along.

Gai followed on his heels, "You forgot didn't you?"

"Forgot what?" Kakashi turned his head back slightly to give him an annoyed look.

"You had an important appointment with me this morning! But you escaped it by taking on another mission. You won't get away from me that easily, rival Kakashi," explained Konoha's crazy green beast.

"An appointment with you?" Kakashi now stopped in his tracks to think.

"You don't remember? You don't remember? How can you not remember our 199th challenge!" yelled the taijutsu master.

"It's been 199 already?" _Time sure flies whether or not you're having fun._

"Yes! We're currently tied at 99 wins apiece. This is the all important tie breaker!" the man in green was nearly jumping out of his skin.

"We're always having tie breakers..." Kakashi sighed.

"Yes but this is the 199th challenge, the one before the 200th challenge! I'm not letting you by me until you agree to fight me!"

"Sigh, fine, but I name the challenge," Kakashi agreed resignedly.

"Yes! What will it be this time? A race? A test of strength? Jumprope? Hopscotch? You name it, I'll win this time!"

"Thumb wrestling," suggested the nonchalant shinobi.

"Thumb wrestling? Something as simple as that?"

"The thumb is a difficult digit to exercise. If you truly are a master of taijustu..."

"I see...yes of course! Thumb wrestling will be a true test of my powers." Gai struck his nice guy pose and thought,_ I can't lose this one. My thumb gets lots of extra exercise from this pose! No way rival Kakashi will have a chance._

Kakashi analyzed, _His thumb is longer than mine, he has a better reach, better strength too, thanks to his nice guy pose exercises. I won't have much of a chance, but who the hell cares. The thumb is not a true measure of manhood. I just want him out of my way and a thumb fight takes 10 seconds._

Gai, however, was taking the thumb wrestling match very seriously and was planning multiple deft maneuvers.

The two grown men got into position: their shoulders squared; their fingers clasped around each other's; their thumbs erect. "One-two-three-four, I declare a thumb war!" shouted Gai enthusiastically. But Gai did not move his thumb immediately as Kakashi expected, he was waiting for Kakashi to make the first move. But Kakashi was waiting for him to make the first move. The two men stared at each other's thumbs unblinking for nearly a minute.

_Screw this_, Kakashi thought as he moved his thumb into a lateral position, expecting Gai to easily pin his thumb for a win.

But Gai expected a trap and did not take the bait so easily. _Nice try, rival Kakashi, but I know a lure when I see one! I'll wait till his thumb weakens and then I'll make my move!_

_This is taking way too long. Every minute I waste with this fool is another minute I'll be late and another minute she'll have to complete some complicated trap to punish me. Sigh, and another minute without her... This calls for something drastic…cheating._ Kakashi concentrated his chakra to his hand. A jolt of electricity passed into Gai's hand causing it to flinch slightly, enough for Kakashi to take advantage of his surprise and pin Gai's thumb for three counts.

"Argh! What was that? You're not allowed to do that in thumb wrestling!" Gai grabbed his hair in frustration.

"All's fair in love and war, and you did declare a thumb war. No rules were specified," Kakashi said as he ran off again.

"I see...rival Kakashi, you took advantage of your enemy's trust. Unscrupulous, but effective...I'll keep that in mind for our next challenge...and I won't lose again!"

-...-...-...-...-...-

_Author's Notes: Will_ _post conclusion with the contest_ _results. Wish me luck! _


	15. Waiting and Wishing Part 3

_**PART 3: REUNION**_

Even from a distance he could see the little bridge was empty. But still he headed toward it though he knew his effort would be futile - she was long gone. He was going to surprise her with a late dinner under the stars at the restaurant nearby, something more romantic than he was accustomed to doing, but now it was too late. She probably left to visit her parents where she could get a nice home cooked meal for free.

Kakashi finally arrived at the designated meeting place and jumped onto the bridge to look for any trace of her. _I'm just over an hour late. That's really not too bad. _He was also careful to look for any traps, but there was no trip wire to be seen. _Well, this is a public place, not the training grounds, so I guess I don't have to worry about traps. No scent, so I missed her by quite a while, and I won't be able to see her tomorrow. That means it'll be at least another couple of months before we can meet again. _He sighed and looked down. At the foot of the railing he spied a small scroll. He picked it up and unfurled it. The words were written with her decisive, precise hand.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE LATE AGAIN! JUST FORGET IT! IT'S OVER!" The scroll suddenly began to smoke. Kakashi quickly threw it into the river below where it self destructed as it hit the surface. An immense wall of cold water rose up then cascaded over him.

_Just great_, he sighed again as he placed his arms on the railing._ Now I'm wet again, starving, and alone. At least that washed off the blood. So it's over. I guess it's for the best. Long distance relationships rarely work out. I've been expecting this sooner or later. So that's that. It was fun while it lasted…_

But soon his thoughts changed from resignation to regret.

_I've waited so long for another chance...I was finally able to feel something...I thought maybe this time...but I guess I screwed up again...I'm such an idiot... _

He knew he should just go home. It was late and she wasn't coming back, but he did not want to return to an empty apartment and it was such a beautiful night. The stars were out by themselves tonight, without the tyranny of the moon. He looked up at their subtle brilliance, then closed his single exposed eye.

_What was that about wishing upon a star? A nursery rhyme from so long ago... Star light, star…something, first star ...something… something… I wish...I wish...I wish for a steaming bowl of miso soup and a giant size bento box of chicken teriyaki...and a pretty waitress…naked… to serve it... in bed. One with overly large dark eyes with just a hint of green, dark hair with just a hint of violet, a pretty heart shaped face ...one that looks like her, smells like her, smiles like her…like her...but one that's...gentler...more patient...more understanding...more interested in sex...more… _

Did he really love her or did he just miss the feelings that had been absent for so long? He has known some women whom some would consider more beautiful, and most women he has known most would consider…nicer. There were even a handful just as clever. But he loved the way she kissed him with her hands caressing his face, the way she played with his hair, the way she held him after a nightmare where he saw his friends and family die again. He loved her defiance and diligence, her alternating cynicism and hopefulness…and of course the sex... _No…it has to be her and no other_.

Someone was approaching. There was no sound of footsteps but he could sense her chakra, her scent. He turned around, but there was no one behind him. _Did I just imagine it? It's just that I miss her so much.._. He closed his eye again and imagined she was by his side enjoying the starlit night.

He felt her presence again, or was it just his imagination again? He was afraid to open his eye, afraid to dispel the illusion.

But then he felt small hands caressing the edges of his mask before pulling it down. Callused shinobi hands that held his face still as gentle lips pressed onto his.

"So you came back…" he said softly as her lips released him.

"I saw the water explosion. Figured it was you. The scroll was rigged for your chakra signature," she said with no apology.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but the mission..." he began to explain.

She silently shook her head and placed her arms around his neck, tip toeing slightly to give him another kiss.

"Did you see that shooting star a little while ago?" she asked while still holding onto him.

"A shooting star? No, I didn't notice anything."

"It looked like it was just past the hokage monuments. It lit up the sky, so beautiful. Too bad you missed it," she said wistfully.

_Could it be she saw my chidori and mistook it for a shooting star? _But Kakashi decided not to mention that possibility. Using his chidori to cut an enemy in half was not romantic, even though she was a kunoichi. Instead he asked, "Did you make a wish?"

"Yes," she blushed slightly, barely noticeable in the night.

"What was it? Or do you subscribe to the superstition that wishes won't come true if you make them known?"

"Actually, I can tell you, my wish came true already."

"Oh?"

"I wished...I wished that you would return safely from your mission. That's all that really matters to me." She had finally remembered the second half of the legend. After all, even the cowherd boy could miss his annual appointment on a cloudy night with no available bridge to connect the stars. There's always the possibility of unforeseen obstacles in the way of true love.

"That's a good wish," he said as he held her tighter.

"So…why were you late?" she asked, curious to hear what excuse he would use this time.

_I can't tell her I just ripped through a guy, tied up three others, and cheated at thumb wrestling. It would just ruin the moment._ "Well, uh, I picked up this nifty chakra amplification amulet for you…"

She took the gift from him and noticed it looked used…and bloody. _But it's the thought that counts, right? _

"Thank you, just what I wanted," she said sincerely as she pressed her face into his chest, ignoring the dampness of his clothes.

But he could not see her face as it contorted. Her brow furrowed. Her smile turned into a grimace. She bit her lower lip trying hard not to complain as she thought, _Now I wish you didn't smell like a wet dog!_

-...-...-...-...End...-...-...-...-

_Author's notes:_

_Contest requirements were a bridge, a shooting star, a water fight, and a kiss under the stars, inspired by the myth of the weaving maid/cowherd boy._

_Didn't place this time (though I think my use of theme was better than some of the ones that placed) but I had fun writing this which is most umportant :)_

_If you liked this story, please check out "Kakashi and the Kunoichi from Thunder Country." First story is undergoing rewrite. This piece sort of takes place after the fourth story._


	16. The Law of Nonequivalent Exchange

_Summary: Kakashi and his team return a lost cat, but then find something fishy going on in a village on the borders of Grass and Fire countries._

* * *

**The Law of Nonequivalent Exchange**

_Someone or something was following him. He could sense it from the slight tingle in his chakra. Something malevolent... _

Konoha's Genin Team 7 was on its way back from escorting cargo from Fire Country to Wind Country. It was just a C mission, in case of bandits. Not a particularly dangerous assignment and nothing eventful happened on the way. Not surprisingly, who would want to steal a hundred cartons of widgets? There was no hurry to return to Konoha so the team had been taking its time walking along the main roads instead of leaping from tree to tree like primates.

The shortest genin was lagging behind his teammates, having had to take a piss. No one bothered to wait for him or to check on him. He could've been abducted for all they cared.

He scrambled to catch up.

Someone was following him. Someone quite good. He could barely hear footsteps or sense any chakra.

A few yards before rejoining his team, from the corner of his eye, barely within his peripheral vision, the blond boy saw movement in the tall grass by the side of the road. The grass swayed, then parted…

With near lightning quick dexterity, Naruto drew his kunai from his leg pack and threw it at his pursuer…

'_A cat!'_ Naruto just missed hitting it with his kunai by a fraction of an inch, cutting off only its left whiskers. Thanks to his quick reflexes, his fingers veered off at the last second when he recognized his foe. The cat meowed in anger and fright, then ran up a nearby tree.

The ruckus caught the attention of his teammates, who now turned back to see what trouble their mischief loving comrade had gotten into this time.

Their sensei walked over and looked up the tree. "A domestic cat," Kakashi observed.

"What do you have against cute furry animals? Last time you nearly killed that poor bunny! And this time you attacked a lost cat!" Sakura yelled, recalling the incident from their mission to Wave Country just weeks ago.

Sasuke thought, '_That bunny was a decoy. Maybe this cat is too. Maybe this cat is dangerous…'_

But before Sasuke could voice his paranoid thoughts, Naruto called out, "Here, kitty, kitty!" In apology, he offered it part of his remaining shinobi ration. The brown tabby carefully approached and accepted the peace offering, even allowing the one who used up one of its nine lives to pick it up.

Kakashi turned over the tag on its red collar. "Koukan Village. Hmm…we just passed that way about a mile back. Guess we should do a good deed and return it. Not an official mission, won't get paid for this, but might make some nice old lady or kid happy. Good for karma."

"And we can get lunch there!" Naruto suggested excitedly. He was now completely out of food for the journey back.

"Koukan Village…an interesting name. It'll be nice to visit someplace new and not worry about missions. We can have some fun, right, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura smiled at Sasuke who as usual said nothing in reply.

'_Fun…how can any of us think of having fun?' _Sasuke thought dourly_. 'We should be training harder, accomplishing tougher missions, not escorting crappy widgets and returning a stupid cat!'_

Naruto pondered, "I wonder why it was following me. Maybe because of the seafood ramen I had for lunch…Hey Sakura-chan, do you think I smell fishy?" He turned to his crush and exhaled.

A not so delicate fist immediately met his face. "Ugh! You are so disgusting! What is wrong with you?"

The cat meowed in anger and fright again, and fought for release, biting Naruto's hand to achieve its freedom.

"OW! That hurts... I just wanted to know if I smelled fishy." He dropped the cat.

"I can tell without you breathing on me! Here, take these." Sakura took out the breath mints she kept in her back pouch (for the unrealistic possibility of kissing Sasuke).

Sasuke deftly grabbed the escaping cat and held it by the nape of its neck. '_This cat looks suspicious…'_ He glared at the cat. He was about to turn on his sharingan eyes when the cat reached out and scratched his hand. The sole remaining Uchiha/self-proclaimed avenger, didn't flinch, despite the four lines of red now oozing from his wrist. Before he could exact his revenge on his attacker, his sensei quickly swooped it up in his arms.

"You guys seriously have no talent with animals. I'm a dog person myself but both cats and dogs should be treated gently. Not dropped, or grabbed, or used as target practice!" Kakashi reprimanded.

"I didn't do anything…" said Sakura defensively.

"I didn't mean to drop it or kill it…" Naruto protested.

Sasuke just shrugged because he did mean to.

'_Looks just like Madame Shijimi's (wife of Fire Country's Daimyo) pet cat Tora from our mission last year, except for the strangely mottled skin,' _Kakashi thought._ 'I don't like cats. They make me sneeze. Good thing I'm wearing a mask.' _The veteran jounin led his team back to the road leading to Koukan Village while the cat slept fitfully in his arms. After its near death experience, the cat was exhausted, but continued to have nightmares of flying kunai.

-…-…-…-…-

The village was a typical little village on the border of Grass Country and Fire Country. There were a number of inns and restaurants in addition to various shops lining the main road. There was no other address on the cat's tag so the gray-haired shinobi, who much preferred dogs, dumped the cat (despite his admonishing advice to the contrary) in the middle of the road and watched it scurry away.

"All right, lunch time!" Naruto looked around for a ramen restaurant. Sasuke, who was indifferent to the type of food since it all ended up as crap, and Sakura, who was always on a diet, followed unenthusiastically.

But the devotee of scandalous books spied an old bookstore. To his shock, on display in the window was…the original handwritten notes and sketches for Icha Icha Paradise by Jiraiya-sama himself! Kakashi practically drooled through his mask_. 'I have to have that!'_ he thought frantically as he quickly opened the door and entered the store._ 'I wonder why it's in a place like this.'_

An old woman screamed as soon as she saw the masked shinobi. She ducked behind the counter and pressed the panic button to set off the alarm. "Bandits!" she cried out.

Kakashi looked around and noticed he was the only one there other than the old woman. "Who me? I'm not a thief. I just want that book, the one in the window, how much?"

The old lady calmed down and stood up, realizing now that she had a customer. "Which book?"

"The one…the notes on Icha Icha Paradise!" demanded the usually unflappable shinobi.

"Hmm…that…"

Kakashi dug out all the money in his pockets and poured it onto the counter.

The old woman looked at the pile of coins and bills and shook her head. "We don't accept foreign currency…"

"Foreign currency? These are all ryou! They're accepted everywhere!"

"Well, not here. The name of this village is Koukan (Barter) Village. We use our own form of cash, widgets. You can normally exchange for them at the bank, but that's closed for renovations. There's too much risk of counterfeit currency, especially from strangers, and there's less chance of being robbed this way." She eyed him suspiciously, thinking, '_Never trust a man who won't reveal his face_.' "You'll have to trade for that book if you want it," she explained.

"Trade? Like what?" Kakashi asked as he mentally itemized his current belongings. _'Eight kunai, a dozen shuriken, first aid kit, six scrolls, a lockpick set, spool of wire, smoke, flash, and poisonous gas bombs…'_

"Well…" the old woman looked doubtfully at him. "You're a shinobi, right? You probably don't have anything I want. What would I do with ninja weapons? We're a nonviolent, peaceful village." She shook her head in disapproval at his existence.

"Maybe I can be of some service?" he winked (actually it was a blink, but since he had only one eye, it looked like a wink). '_Hell, I'll sleep with the old hag if I have to!'_

"Don't be making eyes at me young man! You're about 20 years too late for that!"

"Huh? Who me?" Kakashi replied innocently.

The old woman turned her attention back to their problem. "Let's see... my cat's missing…"

"A brown tabby?"

"Yes, if you could find it…"

"I did, but I let it go."

"Well, she hasn't returned so that doesn't count. If she returns on her own that won't count either. That book's worth a lot you know, but it's been sitting in that window for a long time." She gave themasked man before her an appraising look. "Tell you what, I'd like to just get rid of that smut. How about a sack of coffee."

"Coffee?"

"That's a luxury item around here. And I don't mean just any coffee. It has to be grown in the mountains of Thunder Country and vacuumed sealed for freshness."

"No problem." '_I hope.'_ "Where can I get it?"

"In Thunder Country of course."

"What! That's a two week trip back and forth! I can't wait that long!"

"Well, maybe you can find someone around here who's willing to let you trade for it."

"Sigh, I'll try the marketplace first…" '_I must have that book at all costs!'_

Kakashi walked up and down the main streets, then the side streets. But none of the stores stocked Thunder Country's Mountain Brand Coffee.

-…-…-…-

The genin had settled down at a nearby restaurant. Ramen was not the restaurant's specialty, but it was on the menu to Naruto's delight. Sasuke ordered pork and vegetable dumplings. Sakura ordered the same thing as Sasuke so in case he wanted more, she could share hers.

Just as Naruto finished slurping down the last of his third bowl of noodles, Kakashi came running in. The team looked up in surprise. They had never seen their sensei looking so anxious. "You guys…you didn't eat already did you?"

"Just finished," Naruto announced, happily patting his stomach.

Sasuke continued to eat his remaining dumplings.

"I'm done. Sasuke-kun can have the rest of mine," Sakura smiled at the dark haired-dark eyed boy and pushed her plate toward his.

Sasuke glared at her dumplings. '_Germs!'_ he thought with disgust.

"You know, they don't take ryou here. That's considered foreign currency," their sensei explained.

"What? Ryou is the standard monetary unit," protested Sakura.

Sasuke continued eating calmly. "They can't force us to pay," he pointed out. He added to himself_, 'I'd like to see them try…'_

"Don't worry, we don't have to pay," explained Naruto, "Remember, the waitress told me 'your money is no good here.' That means it's free, right?"

"No, she must have literally meant your money is no good to use in this village," groaned Sakura.

"I thought she meant we could eat for free because we're shinobi." Naruto felt his teammates' eyes bore into him.

A pretty brunette waitress interrupted their discussion, "Is there a problem?"

"We're, uh, new to town and we didn't realize the custom of bartering. We don't have much to trade but maybe we can be of some service?" the masked shinobi suggested.

She looked at him warily, thinking, '_He's why we don't accept money. Bandits are less likely to steal from a village with no cash.' _"Well…you could clean out our storage rooms…" the waitress started to say.

'_Storage rooms_…' Kakashi mused. "Do you happen to have any coffee? Specifically Thunder Country's Mountain Grown?" he asked anxiously.

"Well, we might, but…"

"We'll do anything to get that!" Kakashi interrupted.

The team stared at their sensei's uncharacteristic behavior. '_Why was he acting so strangely? What was with the "**We'll** do anything" ?'_

-…-…-…-…-

"In Konoha, we would owe about 3500 ryou for our lunch," Sakura calculated. "Cleaning out these storage rooms should be worth a lot more than that!"

"She mentioned rats, too!" added Naruto.

"Rats?" Sakura's face turned a shade lighter. '_Well, I'm a shinobi now. I'm not afraid of some furry rodent. A rat is just an ugly bunny, that's all. Just a very ugly one, with sharp teeth and claws, and beady little eyes, and germs and fleas and…'_

'_Rats…another crappy mission,' _thought Sasuke.

-…-…-…-…-

Meanwhile, Kakashi had been sent over to the waitress' father's store on the other side of town. The old man was the sole occupant of the run down wooden three story building.

"Er…excuse me Ojii-san…" Kakashi started to say.

The old man looked up at him and suddenly screamed, "Sic him!"

A very large and very vicious looking black dog jumped from behind the counter at the Leaf shinobi's throat. Kakashi deftly darted to the side and grabbed the dog's jaws in his hands.

"Help! Bandit! Killer!" screamed the old man.

"Who me? I'm a shinobi from Konoha. I'm not here to rob you. Your daughter sent me…"

"You? What's with the mask?" The old man came out from behind the counter, grabbed his dog by its red collar, and peered at the shinobi curiously. Now up close, he could see that the masked man was wearing the forehead protector of the Leaf ninja.

As usual, Kakshi avoided the question and changed the subject. "I'm here to help clean up your store and do some repairs in exchange for a sack of Thunder Country's Mountain Grown Coffee."

"Coffee? That's stuff's expensive!"

Kakashi sighed and mentally did some calculations. '_If a pound of good coffee is about 800 ryou. Then a 25 pound sack would be worth 20,000. But since it's in bulk it should only cost about 10,000 ryou wholesale. That book is definitely worth 10,000 ryou!'_

"Okay then…" the old man said after some consideration. He scribbled on a piece of a paper. "If you finish all these tasks, you can have the coffee."

Kakashi looked at the list and around the room_. 'What this wily old geezer wants would take the rest of the day!'_ But the veteran shinobi resigned himself to doing an honest job instead of resorting to stealing. At lightning speed, concentrating his chakra to his limbs, he quickly swept and organized the store first, then painted its walls, both interior and exterior.

'_I would normally charge at least 80,000 ryou for all this work!'_ Kakashi thought bitterly. '_Next the attic…'_

-…-…-…-…-

"All right, Kakashi-sensei put me in charge, so listen up!" Sakura ordered. The genin had been cleaning the storage rooms behind the restaurant. Kakashi had put Sakura in charge of the guys not because he thought she would be a better leader, but to mitigate any further competition between Naruto and Sasuke. "If you would, Sasuke-kun," she added more gently, while smiling at him. '_Damn, now Sasuke's going to be mad at me for being in charge!' _"Okay, we managed to put everything back in its place and we cleaned the floors, so all that's left to do is exterminate the rats."

"So how do we find them?" asked Naruto.

"We'll draw them out."

"With cheese?"

"No, we'll smoke them out."

"Using smoke bombs?"

"Yes, of course. We'll flood these rooms with smoke and the rats will come running out. Naruto-kun and I will take care of the ones inside. Sasuke-kun, please see to the ones that escape outside." Sakura really wanted to be with Sasuke inside, but decided it would be better for her to keep an eye on Naruto.

Sasuke nodded and exited, leaving Naruto and his crush alone together.

"Okay, there might be a lot of them so be ready," Sakura warned.

Naruto performed the seals for Kage Bushin, so now there were ten Narutos with their kunai ready.

Sakura threw smoke bombs into the suspicious holes she found, then waited with Naruto. As the smoke emerged from the holes, so did the rats. Lots of them. Big ones. All with dirty gray fur and beady black eyes. All with razor sharp teeth and pointed claws.

"Where the hell are all these coming from!" screamed Sakura as the undulating waves of gray fur advanced on them.

Naruto's clones valiantly kicked at the furry little monsters, but the rats fought back. As they sunk their teeth into the clone's fake flesh, the clones disappeared.

Sakura jumped on top of a crate, but the rats climbed over each other, forming steps for the ones behind them, and reached for her ankles.

Though Naruto's clones had protected him, there were no more clones to be seen and he became open to attack. He joined Sakura on top of the crate and chivalrously kicked the rats away from Sakura's feet, while thinking, '_This is why wearing sandals all the time is not a good idea_!'

"How are we going to get out of here?" Sakura asked frantically.

"We don't. We get them out," Naruto explained as he again performed the seals for Kage Bunshin. As two clones fended off the rats from the crate, Naruto threw a kunai with an explosive tag at the wall. The resulting explosion blew open a six foot hole.

The wave of rats headed toward the open where Sasuke was waiting. He was expecting to use a few kunai and shuriken, but at the sudden wave of rats, he quickly resorted to ninjutsu. The dark-eyed boy inhaled deeply and held it for a second before he released a huge fireball, engulfing the advancing rodent army, then…

-…-…-…-…-

_Okay, next clean out the attic…_

The attic stored the usual assortment of junk that people obsessed over and could never throw away, even though the existence of these items had been long forgotten. It was surprisingly large and spacious with high ceilings and sturdy rafters. There was a single window. Now with the sun low on the horizon, it was difficult to see. The first chore was to change the lightbulb. Kakashi concentrated chakra to his feet and walked up the walls. Suspended upside-down from the ceiling, he easily reached over to the lamp.

'_How many kage does it take to change a lightbulb?'_ He was trying to recall the punchline when…

-…-…-…-…-

…a massive explosion! One that took out nearly all the rats and the entire back of the restaurant! Wood debris and burnt rat parts flew all around.

"What the hell was that!" Naruto exclaimed, addressing no one in particular.

"The rats blew up?" pondered Sakura. '_Sasuke-kun must be super amazing to do something like that!'_

"There must be something strange about those rats," Sasuke remarked suspiciously. He walked over to some of the identifiable remains and poked around with his kunai. One corpse was still intact but half of its body fur had been burnt away. Sasuke noticed strange symbols on its skin. He stabbed it with his kunai then jumped back to avoid the resulting explosion of rat guts.

"These rats have been tattooed with explosive seals," he concluded. '_What's going on?'_

-…-…-…-…

…Kakashi saw the shadows move. Shadows of triangular shape. '_Bats! The old geezer didn't say anything about having to exterminate bats! Crap…'_

Before he could decide on how he should rid the attic of bats, the black mass flew at him. Caught off guard, he lost his concentration and fell from the ceiling onto an old wobbly chair which stood under the light from the last time someone futilely attempted to change the lightbulb. The chair, with its legs already irreparably cracked, immediately splintered and fell apart. The cushion had broken his fall but his fall had demolished the chair and now he felt a sharp pain in his thigh. A shard of wood pierced his leg and blood began to pool around the wound. Luckily it missed any arteries and it was close to the bandage he wore on his right leg. The veteran shinobi pulled out the large splinter, pushed his bandage up and tightened it around the wound.

'_That book may not be worth it after all_,' he thought ruefully. But there was little time for regrets as the bats amassed for another attack.

This time the Leaf jounin was ready. His quick hands summoned a whirling wind funnel, much like a mini-tornado, which gathered up the bats as it made its way across the room and toward the window. But the window was closed. The swirling mass of flying rodents crashed into the glass and…

-…-…-…-…-

When the fire and smoke died down, the people who had escape the restaurant came back, curious to see what had happened. The restaurant owner, a very large burly man with a mass of black hair and beard, started shouting at them, "What the hell did you do!"

"It was the rats! I swear! They exploded!" Naruto tried to explain, unsuccessfully.

"You blew up my restaurant! I'm going to kill you!"

'_I'd like to see you try_,' Sasuke was about to say but then Sakura cut in.

"We're very sorry about all this," she told the man, "but it really wasn't our fault. We were trying to exterminate the rats but it seems these rats…"

Sasuke moved in front of her and interrupted, "It was entirely my fault. I didn't realize the strength of my fireball jutsu. Please send the bill to the Uchiha clan in Konoha. You'll be compensated adequately."

'_Sasuke must have a reason to prevent me from mentioning those exploding rats_,' Sakura thought, so she stayed quiet.

"What! You're gonna pay them for the damage? But it was their rats!" Naruto ranted.

Sasuke kicked Naruto hard in the shin to prevent him from saying any more. "Shut up," the Uchiha hissed dangerously, "We need to investigate this. They might be in on it."

It slowly dawned on Naruto that rats tattooed with explosive seals were not normal in a civilian village.

"Please leave the cleanup to us." Sakura smiled at the restaurant owner and his soon to be unemployed employees. They left the Leaf genin to their task.

-…-…-…-…-

…the pane shattered upon impact and glass shards flew all around. The miniature tornado sucked the shards back in, creating a funnel of whirling glass blades. But now that the window was broken, Kakashi directed it out to the open. As soon as it cleared the window ledge, the controlled gust of wind exploded! Glass and burnt batwings flew black into the room where Kakashi was hobbling about.

'_What the hell was that? That jutsu does not cause explosions_…'

He picked up a fragment of a bat's wing. Strange symbols appeared when he spread the wing out to its fullest. '_Symbols similar to those found on explosive notes… and that cat...'_

An angry voice emanated from the floor below. "What the hell are you doing? You blew up my house! You useless bastard! Can't do a simple thing like change a lightbulb!"

"Excuse me Ojii-san, but you didn't tell me you had a problem with bats…"

"Rats? I don't have problems with rats. I have a cat, or rather I used to…"

"I said bats," Kakashi explained patiently while thinking over the implications.

"Bats? In my attic? Don't think there were any last time I was up here…Well, whatever, you have to replace the window or no deal!"

The sun had already set. There was no time to replace the window. Kakashi would have to wait another day before he could get his hands on the book. Or would he?

-…-…-…-…-

"It's getting late, where's Kakashi sensei?" Sakura complained. Her dress was no longer recognizably red.

"Where did he run off to anyway?" asked Naruto. His usually bright orange outfit was no longer bright and barely orange.

"He said something about a book," Sasuke informed his teammates. "Probably at the local adult bookstore." Somehow Sasuke's clothes were still clean.

"We're almost done clearing out the debris and rat parts, but there's still rebuilding that entire wall," groaned Sakura. "We'll have to camp outside since they won't take money at the inns."

"Look, here…" Sasuke pointed at a large hole in the ground inside the storage room. The hole was clearly visible now that the crate was destroyed.

"I wonder where that leads…" mused Sakura.

"I can find out! Just wait…" Naruto transformed into a rat and jumped into the hole.

"Do you think it's safe for him to do that?" Sakura was worried despite her pleasure at being left alone with her crush.

Sasuke shrugged. '_Idiot. If he gets in trouble, it's his own fault.'_

-…-…-…-…-

The bookstore had already closed, but the object of Kakashi's desire was still in the window. '_I'll just break in, take the book and leave an IOU_,' he thought a bit guiltily as he channeled his chakra to the lockpick set to short circuit the security system while unlocking the door.

"I thought you'd be back," a voice greeted him as he entered the room.

"Your little plan to get rid of me didn't work. Tell me what your real plans are," Kakashi replied coldly.

"You're smarter than you look, but so am I. After all, what pervert would desperately want a book like that? As soon as you said you saw my cat, I knew you'd be trouble."

_'The cat, just like Tora!'_ realization dawned on him. "You're planning to assassinate Fire Country's Daimyo and his wife..."

"You're as smart as they say, Sharingan Kakashi. Don't you recognize me? It's been twenty years since I left Konoha." The old woman transformed into a beautiful voluptuous redhead. "I, Gesshirui Saikoubi, rivaled Tsunade-sama herself back then. I was the original inspiration for Icha Icha Paradise."

Kakashi's jaw dropped, but of course it wasn't noticeable.

"Jiraiya-sama gave me his notes, and a lot of cash, after I threatened him with a lawsuit. But money isn't everything. Revenge is sweeter. That bitch Shijimi stole my man! I should've been the Daimyo's wife!"

"That was a long time ago…"

"When you get older you start to think more about your life and what went wrong and…how certain people should die before you!"

"In any case, I can't let…"

The redhead pressed a button behind the counter to open a panel in the ceiling. A swarm of bats swooped down on the Leaf shinobi. Kakashi quickly ducked, turned, and threw six kunai. Six decapitated bats crashed and exploded behind him, demolishing most of the front of the store. Luckily, the book lay unharmed. The remaining bats turned for another attack.

'_Damn, there's too many of them, my leg is injured, and I have to be careful not to damage that book!' _Kakashi performed the whirlwind jutsu he had used before, carefully directing it away from the book. But now the bats used a different attack - a sonic attack. A collective high piercing shriek reverberated through Kakashi's head, disorienting him. The room began to sway like a not-so-fun amusement park ride.

'_I have to avoid them... Best to dig under and come out from behind…'_

But the rodent master was prepared for that as she pressed another button to open a panel at the base of the cashier's counter. Teams of rats poured out.

But instead of swarming over Kakashi, they attacked their master. The woman screamed hysterically as the rats ran under her robes and into her sleeves, nipping and clawing wherever they touched flesh.

One of the rats suddenly transformed into a blue-eyed blond. Kakashi immediately understood and took out his spool of wire to bind the woman from head to toe.

"Good job Naruto," he said to his genin, then turned to face the old woman who had transformed back. "You were only Tsunade-sama's rival in beauty, but never in power. Your plan for revenge has failed."

Kakashi then walked over and removed the object of his desire from its place in the window. "I'll take this as compensation for this mission," he said happily.

-…-…-…-

"You see," Kakashi explained to his team on the way back to Konoha the next day, "that village's favorite trick is to force unsuspecting visitors into what's tantamount to slave labor. All sorts of shady activities conspire in these border villages. In our case, we accidentally came upon an assassination plot. The old woman at the bookstore was worried that since I saw her cat, I would uncover her plot to assassinate our Daimyo. That cat we found looked exactly like his cat. I noticed some strange marks under its fur but I didn't think anything of it at first. Then I saw the same marks on the bats, and the dog at the old man's store had a similar collar…"

"Knew there was something strange about that cat. Should've killed it immediately," muttered Sasuke.

"You mean the old man and that pretty waitress was in on it too?" asked Naruto.

"Probably," Kakashi answered, "There is no such thing as coffee from Thunder Country. The climate there is too cold to grow coffee. That was a code phrase between the three of them. I was wondering why none of the other stores knew what I was talking about."

"How come they're not all arrested?" complained Naruto.

Kakashi shrugged. "We don't have evidence against the other two and I just received word via the messenger bird that our Daimyo pardoned Saikoubi. We shouldn't have any more problems with them."

"So all this because Naruto smelled fishy…" mused Sakura.

"Oh! I just had eel ramen. Do I still smell fishy?" asked Naruto as he exhaled his breath inches away from Sakura's face.

Naruto's jaw was again introduced to Sakura's fist.

-…-…-…-

Epilogue:

After the mission: Naruto stopped eating seafood/eel ramen. Sakura developed a phobia of all furry animals. Sasuke resolved to kill all stray animals. Kakashi started to buy books via mail order.

-…-…-END-…-…-

_Notes:_

_Daimyo - Feudal Lord_

_Gesshirui - rodent_

_Saikoubi - most beautiful_

* * *

_Authors Notes: Written for Mediaminer's action autumn contest._

_I'm not of an action writer, didn't place, but I'm happy with how this turned out._

_Requirements: action, broken chair, coffee, a small event develops into something bigger._


End file.
